When thinking about The Matrix one of the first things to come to mind is Bullet Time. As we talked about in class, Bullet Time truly burst onto the screen in The Matrix, only to soon fade away and make room for the newest innovative film technology. As I thought of the audience’s quick move to the newest thing, I couldn’t help but feel that it was reminiscent of social networking sites.

Anyone who was anyone in middle school had a Myspace. You posted pictures, commented, chose a song for your profile, and for the first time for many of us, you stalked the people you knew. Myspace reached its pinnacle when it became the home of aspiring singers, songwriters, and performers to get their name out to the music industry. Things then spiraled down as Myspace became known for its problems. Parents were afraid for their kids safety as news stories came out of older men that posed as young kids on the site. And so Myspace went the way of Bullet time.

But, through Myspace failings came new social networking sites that remain popular today. Twitter, Tumblr, and Facebook, and numerous others, have become stereotyped though. Twitter is known for its ability to stalk celebrities and, for some, to post what you are doing/eating/drinking at every second of the day. Tumblr, one of the lesser-known sites, is known as a place for bloggers, photographers, and, of course, hipsters, since its not too mainstream yet. And finally, the quintessential social networking giant, Facebook. Now known as the place for stalking and talking about yourself. But, Facebook  does have its share of problems, with privacy issues at the head.

 

While these social networking sites have yet to go the way of Myspace and Bullet time, it can only be assumed that one day, they will. A better technology will arise and make the sites a part of the past. These sites define our generation, just as bullet time defines The Matrix. Countless times I’ve heard people explain that they dodged something like “The Matrix”. These are apart of our culture. The only thing left to do is enjoy them, before the technology of the future comes to replace them.