Chapter 86: Facebook
In the future Su Can had come from, internet wars had raged, with internet giants carving out territories and rival powers rising. Chinese websites had adapted all kinds of models for their own use. Parking tickets, stealing crops, fishing, and similar games had quickly swept China. Renren, Kaixin, Happy Farm, and others had also risen to fame.
Yet here, in an American academy town in 2000, when people back in China did not yet-and could not possibly-set alarms to get up at three in the morning to "steal crops," two people were weaving the future.
"The rhythm of our social lives each school year is mostly determined by our dorms, classes, and dorm neighbors. Students aren't allowed to use cell phones at school, and they have to move dorms after their first year, so our school directory will be the crucial link. Do you realize it? This directory will become our most useful platform for socializing." Zack took out a directory.
It contained photographs and short introductions of students throughout the academy, allowing them to find and contact others in their year. This was one of Phillips Exeter Academy's longstanding social traditions. Students used the school-issued directory to see where their classmates lived, who was popular, who roomed with whom, who the new students were, and so on.
Zuckerberg set the directory on Su Can's desk. Like a restless goat, he kept rummaging through his bookcase for materials, without forgetting to keep Su Can engaged. "You knew that the media had covered me because of the media player plug-in I wrote for Microsoft, and that was how you learned my name. Last year, the student council successfully persuaded the school's registration office to put the entire directory online, and you found my email address there. Do you