A decade and a half after the landmark social networking platform’s creation, Facebook reports over 2 billion users per month.
For some, Facebook is becoming less relevant; the company has been called out for funneling the political echochamber with false profiles, selling user data, and younger users are opting for other networks. For others, Facebook has become a lifeline as a primary source of news and social interactions.
Subsequently Facebook has changed how friendships evolve. The virtual-world of Facebook has created connections otherwise lost with time like childhood acquaintances, or relationships that would have never forged to begin with, like matchs made through Ancestry.com. As Zuckerberg's baby turns fifteen, AirTalk explores Facebook’s awkward adolescence and considers what the maturing platform means for our political beliefs, social relationships, and sense of self.
Guests:
Hannah Kuchler, reporter for the Financial Times, where she covers tech out of Silicon Valley
Joshua Tucker, professor of politics and co-director of the Social Media and Political Participation (SMaPP) laboratory at New York University
Julie Beck, senior editor at The Atlantic, where she covers family and education; her recent piece is “Facebook: Where Friendships Go to Never Quite Die”