For a social network that was initially made by and for students, Facebook has gained admirers in unlikely places. Tech geeks praise it for its "stickiness," amazed that 60 percent of its users log on daily. College students, for reasons that range from the practical to the petty, log on several times each day, unable to resist the lure of the ever-updating News Feed. And even parents see Facebook, with its clean interface and adjustable privacy settings, as a safer alternative to MySpace. (Slate writer Christopher Beam has called it "the kind of social network you'd bring home to Mom.")
Facebook has had its detractors as well, many of whom see the site as a colossal waste of time for college students.
But the idea of Facebook as a "community" is revolutionary in itself: In what other forum could 42 million people across the world be considered a community? Facebook users are connected by a complex web of "friendships" and "local networks," though few of them have anything in common.
Facebook groups serve as cliques, dividing the massive network into smaller communities of like-minded users. Though many groups are devoted to dubious causes (see: "Why Could Nobody Ever Assemble the Shrine of the Silver Monkey?"), many users have found them to be a potent way to spread the word about political and humanitarian causes.
For Christian Cho, LGSOE '09, having a Facebook profile isn't about being "obsessive about the stereotypical college alcohol culture." Shunting aside the typical herd mentality of Facebook use, he instead chooses to emphasize the idea of a self-conscious community. "Joining political groups on Facebook and using other networking sites can be as much about identity as it is about action," Cho said in an e-mail. "Online activism can serve to bridge communities together, and many people inevitably engage themselves in discussions."
Christian Cho, LGSOE '09, has turned his Facebook profile into a multilayered platform for his political convictions. He is a member of groups as diverse as "Campaign to End the Death Penalty," "Make Trade Fair," and "Students for Justice in Palestine," among 52 others. He also posts a link to his "anti-racist" video blog, found on YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=angryantiracist).
Even if groups have many inactive members, he emphasized the overriding benefits of having the network available: "It can be empowering and uplifting to see that I'm not alone."
When Facebook introduced "applications" to the site in May, online politicos and activists found a more direct way to spur the community to action. "Causes on Facebook" was created by Sean Parker and Joe Green of Project Agape, a small company devoted to online activism. (Parker is also one of the co-founders of Facebook.) The application, which boasts 214,496 daily active users, partners with nonprofits to spread awareness for specific causes, but it also allows users to raise and donate money directly to the organizations through the site.
Malak Yusuf, a member of Amnesty International on campus and A&S '09, calls herself a "staunch advocate" of online activism, listing the network's many practical benefits.
The Amnesty International group has an active message board, a list of relevant links, and a detailed list of instructions about getting involved. The organization also uses the Causes application; thus far, 78,870 members have been "recruited" to the cause, and $4,443 in donations has been collected.
"There are members worldwide who sign petitions, promote actions, and educate themselves - all strictly online," she said in an e-mail. "It's a more practical and easily accessible utility for people who can only afford to devote a limited amount of their time to activism."
While Yusuf uses her Facebook profile to promote a range of causes, Josh Darr, A&S '09, seems to have a single-issue profile: He's in 11 Barack Obama-related groups. Darr, the Massachusetts student director of Students for Barack Obama, regularly posts links to articles related to the campaign and notes to remind students of upcoming events. He cited the group "1,000,000 Strong for Barack" as a sign of Obama's powerful appeal among college students. The group falls short of its mark (the current membership totals 365,082), but it was the fastest-growing group in the history of Facebook and gained national media attention as a result.
"So much of politics is simply getting in touch with people and getting your candidate's message out there, and social networking sites like Facebook make that much easier," Darr said in an e-mail. Though not all of the Facebook members attend his organization's events, he sees it as a useful tool. "Online activism, when used correctly, can be a great way to identify new supporters and turn passive support into action," he said.
Yusuf also stands by the good intentions of online activists, calling Causes on Facebook "worthwhile in the sense that they do draw attention, raise awareness and may cause for even that one apathetic individual to click on the provided link for further information." She also noted the success of the "Save Darfur" Cause, which has garnered 533,747 members and $39,518 worth of donations.
Cho, however, is measured in his praise of Facebook activism - for him, merely spreading awareness online is not enough. "The danger is that too many people can't connect their values with how they live," he said. "If expression through digital media is enough for them, I can't say that that's wrong. I like to see individuals - they're often far and few between - who see networking sites as just another tool for their activism and not as the sole method for becoming politically active."
If activists can bring the Facebook community to debate divisive issues, donate money to charity, or follow the campaign trail, then the site - once a mere tool for "poking" and "friending" - may become the sticky social network platform that could.
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