> I'm not really sure how creating a clone of "Hot or Not" really helps people connect. If Harvard didn't take Facemash down and Mark didn't face any sort of threat of punishment (expulsion, violation of copyright, etc) would Facebook actually exist currently? I don't think the "scratch your own itch" mantra works in this situation
Well, if his goal was to get fellow students to upload pictures of pretty girls from his campus, that would indeed be a "scratch your own itch" situation. The entire story has strong Revenge of the Nerds vibes - and I mean that in the more recent revisionist "oh god, all of them should be in prison for sexual harassment and at least one count of literally rape" sense.
Well, if his goal was to get fellow students to upload pictures of pretty girls from his campus, that would indeed be a "scratch your own itch" situation. The entire story has strong Revenge of the Nerds vibes - and I mean that in the more recent revisionist "oh god, all of them should be in prison for sexual harassment and at least one count of literally rape" sense.