AN INTELLECTUAL HISTORY OF FACEBOOK

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My doctoral research will examine the political and philosophical ideas that have, implicitly or explicitly, shaped Facebook's decision-making process and actions between 2007 and 2018. I will initially explore the intellectual context out of which Facebook arose, focusing firstly on the influential intellectual currents of early 21st century America, including the rise of Neoliberalism, the notion of the 'End of History', and the changing perspectives of privacy and surveillance post 9/11; secondly, on the intellectual trends in the history of the computer. I will then identify, map and analyse the ideas which underpinned Facebook's decision-making. I envisage four themes: i) Facebook's quasi-libertarian stance on freedom of speech, which is the company's clearest philosophical and political standpoint.ii) Facebook conception of political change especially since the social network markets its own ability to predict and influence user behaviour in effect selling itself as a key medium for and a conduit of social and political change.iii) Facebook's approach to individual privacy and what Facebook's widespread mining of user data tells us about how the company understands the concept of the individual.iv) Facebook's perspective of the nation state and the extent to which the social network accepts the legitimacy of a nation and its actions to regulate the flow of information.