Blog Post #10

Blog Post 10: “Does Facebook and Its Users Constitute a Superorganism?”
The idea of a superorganism is in the cells and tissue of the creature. A superorganism is seen as a colony of organisms that while working together can perform actions that one alone could never make possible. When this concept is applied to technology, one thinks of the example in crisis mapping. This idea that is used by tons of individuals to aid the entire country or damaged region as a whole. However when the idea is incorporated into social media sites such as Facebook a question occurs. Does Facebook and its users constitute a Superorganism? In my opinion the answer is yes. The activities being performed as a whole aren't like the ants building bridges to get to their food, but rather an exchange of information in seconds compared to other possible methods. In order for me to tell ten of my friends that I hate studying for my Biology and Chemistry exams, I would have to text each of them individually. Taking approximately two minutes for the text to be typed and sent to the person, A total of twenty minutes would be required to notify the people I want. However If I simply post it on Facebook, They all find out at the same time within seconds. There is even a chance for it to be instantaneous if they are on Facebook already (which isn't very unlikely with most of the friends I have). The Facebook community as a whole can notify people, set up events for anything, send messages, and transfer information all a rapid pace that only takes a fraction of written mail. The Facebook community is able to perform many actions that as an individual would not be possible. It's a community within our society that links the entire world together to help perform tasks not originally possible as individuals. In my opinion, the sites ability to help in these activities resembles that of a swarm and superorganism that most if not all of us are a part of everyday.