Supplemental Resources: The Boy Kings

The subject matter of this week's articles reminded me of Katherine Losse's book The Boy Kings: A Journey into the Heart of the Social Network. While the narrative does not directly mention the themes of Facebook's personalization in terms of making money, it reveals Mark Zuckerberg's earliest goals for the infrastructure of the site. Losse provides a humorous and self-deprecating firsthand account of what it was like to witness a group of young geniuses change the entire social culture of the world. Much like Siva Vaidhyanathan pulling back the curtain on Google's empire to examine its commitment to the "don't be evil" motto, Losse recounts tales of how Facebook's mission to connect all people became more extreme as it grew in popularity.

And since you probably don't have time to read the entire book, this awkwardly named Daily Beast article "7 Juiciest Bits From ‘Boy Kings,’ New Facebook Book by Employee No. 51" gives an interesting overview of the more sensational aspects of the story.