This essay is written by Tom Hodgkinson, and it is a critique of Facebook, its founders, and its business model. The author is skeptical about the validity of Facebook’s business model as well as the motives behind its institution. The author is also unimpressed by the tremendous success that Facebook has managed to achieve so far. Hodgkinson’s critique also includes the personalities behind the institution of Facebook. The author’s main argument is that Facebook is a business that is modeled around human weaknesses, consumer exploitation, and misconstrued policies.
The author of this essay uses an intimate analysis of Facebook to make his point known. The author begins by informing his readers how the Facebook business model operates. Furthermore, the author declares his stand in advance and then proceeds to offer explanations for his views. At the beginning of the essay, the author explores how Facebook impacts the lives of its users. This evaluation concentrates on Facebook’s core users in the United Kingdom, the United States, and Canada. The author then seeks to explain his views by tracing the origins of Facebook Corporation. According to the author, Facebook is a decent tech idea that was hijacked by capitalist forces. The author’s critique then moves to the personalities behind Facebook. This strategy seeks to explore the core values that might be embedded in Facebook as a futuristic business. The author concludes that Facebook is an ‘uber-capitalist’ experiment that seeks to profit from humanity in a crude manner.
Hodgkinson’s essay can be revised to create a distinct argument or a proposal. In its current form, Hodgkinson’s essay appears to be a protest letter against the institution of Facebook. On the other hand, the essay focuses too much on people-centered facts and lacks enough information on existing business models. Furthermore, the author does not offer solid examples that might aid in justifying his protests. To a scholarly audience, Hodgkinson’s essay looks like a tirade against Facebook. There are other inconsistencies in Hodgkinson’s essay, and they prevent the article from being a coherent argument or proposal.
To create a distinct argument from the essay, one needs to formulate a basic thesis from the author’s claim. An example of a viable thesis statement is, ‘Facebook’s business model is hypocritical, and it is built around capitalist intentions and not the need to foster people’s social welfare.’ This thesis statement is a viable argument that can be made using the details provided by Hodgkinson in his essay. To support this argument, the author would provide enough evidence concerning the nature of Facebook’s business model. For instance, the author needs to show how Facebook is more of a capitalistic than a socialist venture. Hodgkinson has provided enough information concerning Facebook’s business model, but these details are scattered and somehow incoherent. The argument also needs to be proven using relevant examples. These examples can include examples of businesses that are similar or different from Facebook’s business model. Hodgkinson only provides details about corporations that are similar to Facebook.
A proposal that can be sourced from Hodgkinson’s essay can read: ‘Facebook- a new intrusion on social order.’ The proposal argument can explore how Facebook impacts the lives of its users. This proposal would also evaluate the intentions of the business executives who are at the helm of Facebook in relation to their clients. The proposal will also seek to establish if Facebook has an overall positive or negative impact on social order.