A Review of The Facebook Effect

By: kelly ann Carpentier

David Kirkpatrick

David Kirkpatrick is, no doubt, a brilliant writer. He clearly knows a thing or two about writing a good story. The Facebook Effect is no exception. The only problem that I had with this book was that is seems like the same story could’ve been told in 100 or less pages.

Had I not been writing a review of this book, I probably would’ve put the book down after the first chapter. The tale of Facebook, and the making of what we know it to be now, is astonishingly simple, and can easily be straight from the files of ‘why didn’t I think of that?’

Kirkpatrick’s use of overly descriptive detail regarding characteristics of the major players can easily be found as offensive and derogatory. To be that descriptive is not necessary, and is yet another factor that takes away from the power of everything fascinating about Facebook.

If one of Kirkpatrick’s goals in the book was to create sympathy for the often criticized and embattled Facebook Founder, Mark Zuckerberg, he certainly put his best foot forward. But at the same time, Kirkpatrick describes Zuckerberg as a person with revolting hygiene and sanitation habits, who has no manners, and is completely void of consideration for others. In addition, Zuckerberg is painted as narcissistic and exuding hubris at best.  This double-sided description of all things Zuckerberg seems carefully balanced and even a bit strategic.

Mark Zuckerberg wins the hearts of the intellects with reclusive tendencies everywhere. How he deals with his fame and fortune in the decades to come will be very interesting to watch unfold.

The story about a boy genius who creates something that changes the way we do things forever is intoxicating and inspirational. The fact that his wealthy parents funded almost everything (in the beginning stages) is not. Many of us only have shoestring budgets, so it’s hard to relate.

Many people can relate to the story about how the corporate world always wants to swoop in when they see “the next big thing.”  Zuckerberg’s resolve not to sell Facebook, the consequences of that decision, and its rewards will easily speak to many business owners who’ve walked down a similar road.

All that said, the true heart of the matter is how the “facebook effect” has changed the “network effect”. Kirkpatrick explains the network effect as:

“…a product or service is said to have a network effect when its value grows greater to all its users each time one new user joins.  Since every incremental user thus in effect strengthens the service, growth tends to lead to more growth, in a virtuous cycle…businesses or technologies with network effects tend to grow steadily and to have a durable market presence.”

Following this line of thinking, Facebook hasn’t even scratched the surface when it comes to its potential.  Not to mention that Facebook has changed the definitions of the most everyday occurrences. Our lives will never be the same.  I still think that there’s a part of Facebook, and there always will be, that it’s only as good as the way in which it’s used.

So what exactly is the “facebook effect”? It’s the concept of the “network effect” expanded so rapidly and so exponentially that its mere existence creates its own definition. It’s “going viral” beyond any human expectation.

Overall, The Facebook Effect is a good book. It just seems verbose, drawn out, and at times filled with extraneous information. The fact that Kirkpatrick mentions Zuckerberg encouraged him to write the book could raise some flags.

This bias is clear throughout many of the 300 plus pages.  There’s no doubt, for me any way, which the book can easily masquerade as an autobiography of Mark Zuckerberg during his brief stint at college to the present time. If I had to do this over, I’d borrow a copy or get it on sale. It’s not my intention to be harsh. I just didn’t think it was worth all the hoopla surrounding it.