Althouse: “We build products that 500 million people see… If 5 million people see a movie, it doesn’t really matter that much.”

October 7, 2010

“We build products that 500 million people see… If 5 million people see a movie, it doesn’t really matter that much.”

Mark Zuckerberg doesn't need to care about old media... like Hollywood.

21 comments:

Triangle Man said...: From TFA;

In other words, the movie is a drop in the bucket compared to Facebook’s bigger ambitions to make the entire world more social.

According to the movie "making the entire world more social" means "making it easier to get laid".

He has a hell of a point.; 10/7/10, 9:46 AM
Scott M said...: Instapundit channeling Han Solo comes to mind.; 10/7/10, 9:47 AM
ricpic said...: Is Zuckerberg screwing supermodels yet?; 10/7/10, 9:49 AM
traditionalguy said...: The young man will soon feel the wrath of the EU and China who dislike an American success story.; 10/7/10, 9:51 AM
Opus One Media said...: ahhh the importance of self inflation and the dangers of over-self-inflation.

Mr. Z forgets that people don't see or care about the "entire 500 million facebook" but stay within their communities. Gaining followers that are meaningful for any commercial endeavor is like pulling teeth. I advise my clients to post there if they have something to say that is meaningful and informative only. It takes a lot of work and the returns are minimal.

Other than that it is a great idea..just ask Mr. Z.; 10/7/10, 9:56 AM
Known Unknown said...: What will people remember 100 years from now?

Star Wars, or How many acres of crap you earned in Farmville?; 10/7/10, 10:24 AM
SteveR said...: And soon enough, in the direction its headed, "doesn't really matter that much" will apply to FB. My kids 14, 17 and 20 check their email about as often as I check my mail box. Something to replace FB will be here soon enough.

I suppose its possible they could adapt and stay in the same place they are now but in the time I've used FB, the trend says otherwise. Its not better.; 10/7/10, 10:27 AM
Alex said...: Mr. Zuckerberg should learn what happened to hubris.; 10/7/10, 10:53 AM
Alex said...: Oh and maybe he should just go back to Israel if YA know what I mean!; 10/7/10, 10:53 AM
Alex said...: That last comment was in honor of Cedarford and Pat Buchanan. Blessed are their memories.; 10/7/10, 10:54 AM
Unknown said...: We should wait until the novelty wears off social networking to see how much movies matter.

Besides, without movies ripped off from computer games and old TV shows, what will all the virtual friends talk about?

PS Agree with Alex (rare) on hubris, but it's a Greek thing, not Jewish.

WV "rumpted" How Titus likes it.; 10/7/10, 11:07 AM
Phil 314 said...: HD;
I advise my clients to post there if they have something to say that is meaningful and informative only.

You do understand the irony of that statement.; 10/7/10, 11:32 AM
jr565 said...: Facebook is a product to use. No different really than any other websites. Starwars is a work of art. Facebook may get more traffic than the Star Wars movie, but so does amazon.com most likely where people go to buy stuff, including star wars memorabilia. Why is a platform compared to art or media? That one is bigger than the other is irrelevant to their worth. People will remember movies forever, facebook will be the place where their friend made a comment and you commented on their comment, or found out that the person you found on facebook is the same high school friend you never spoke to after high school. How is facebook different from google, my space or any other site whereby you get search info?
Not to discount it's ubiquitousness and it's utility, but its simply a vehicle to get content, not actual content.; 10/7/10, 11:56 AM
Known Unknown said...: To follow up, Mr. Z seems to be confusing reach with impression.

The numbers aren't as important as he thinks they are.

How many people originally saw MacBeth?; 10/7/10, 12:39 PM
Revenant said...: What will people remember 100 years from now? Star Wars, or How many acres of crap you earned in Farmville?

Invalid comparison -- you're comparing Star Wars to one of countless things people do WITH Facebook. If you want to compare something to how people do in Farmville, the valid comparison would be "who came in second in the pod race". And the answer would be "nobody's going to care about either one".

But your comparison is silly in either case, since he was comparing Facebook to the movie ABOUT Facebook -- not to Star Wars.; 10/7/10, 12:41 PM
Salamandyr said...: My only concern is whether we've found something else to make fun of Aaron Sorkin over.; 10/7/10, 12:49 PM
Revenant said...: Something to replace FB will be here soon enough.

Maybe, but not necessarily. The underlying attraction of Facebook -- forming distributed social networks -- isn't going anywhere. Sharing of photos, videos, anecdotes, observations, et al, with your friends and family also isn't going anywhere. Superior ways of doing these things will undoubtedly come along, but who's to say it won't be Facebook doing them?; 10/7/10, 12:51 PM
Known Unknown said...: Revenant-

Everyone knows Gasgano came in second in the pod race.

Duh.

(But he still comparing Facebook to a movie, and yes, HD is correct to note that the 500 million number is irrelevant to any Facebook user.); 10/7/10, 12:52 PM
Known Unknown said...: Now, however, that I re-read the story, I see his comparison is to say that particular movie won't impact how the world perceives Facebook, so yes, my comparison is not quite apt.; 10/7/10, 12:54 PM
Barry Dauphin said...: Comparing Facebook to a single movie isn't a great comparison. But a person can be smart in a very specific way (e.g., with respect to the technology and idea behind Facebook) and make piles of moolah without being smart or wise in other ways. Bill Gates obviously understood what he was doing with Microsoft, but his musings about the world are quite dull. Facebook might not become what he thinks it will. It is nonetheless a valuable development.; 10/7/10, 4:56 PM
Blue@9 said...: Not quite a good comparison. Movies are entertainment, art. Facebook is a tool.

I do think people here underestimate the staying power of FB (or something in its vein). Social networking is powerful and it's been with us for a while. FB is just the latest incarnation and it works very well. Think about what we're doing right now. We're reading one person's wall and then contributing comments. We're already a social networking community.; 10/8/10, 10:29 AM