Post date: May 18, 2012 4:51:18 PM
TAIPEI, TAIWAN (MARCH12, 2012) (REUTERS) - The majority of the world's most famous celebrities are now at the tip of your fingers and it's all thanks to the motherboard of online social networking sites, Facebook.
Larry King, Chase Crawford and more talk about the effect Facebook has had on their lives.
As investors welcome Facebook to Wall Street on Friday (May 18), raising $16 billion (USD) as one of the biggest initial public offerings (IPO) in U.S. history, a few celebrities cash in their thoughts on the dynamic platform that has revolutionized the way they communicate with their friends, families, and fans.
"I think there are some pros and cons to social media. I mean I think it's really great that people can connect and be in touch so quickly, I mean I remember what it was like when you would wait for a letter in the mail for a week and now you can exchange e-mails or updates or you know, alert people on mass about what you're doing. But, you know, it also makes me sad when I go hiking and there's this beautiful scenery around me and I walk by teenagers who are like on their phone. And it's like the world is out there, it's not just in your phone," said actress Jenna Fischer.
Listed under Nasdaq with the FB symbol, Facebook is valued at $104 billion, making the Silicon Valley-based company larger than Starbucks Corp and Hewlett-Packard combined. With these numbers, it's no surprise that a few actors wished they were part of the birth of the company.
"I wish I had engaged in the Facebook, in the founding of it. Just being a user, there's no benefit," said actor Will Arnett.
Busy actor Chace Crawford was shocked to learn the company was going public, but also said he wished he could benefit financially although he doesn't have a Facebook page.
"I didn't even know that. They're selling out. I guess if Facebook is going public then I am probably a little bit late into the game then, to really capitalize on the stock. I should have been there to steal the idea at Harvard, right. But no, I didn't know that, that's wonderful, I don't have Facebook, so I wouldn't know that," said Crawford.
But not everyone feels the same way about the company's mission of 'creating a more open and connected community.' Actor Victor Garber expressed his strong dislike for the social networking tool: "I am not interested in Facebook, I am not on Facebook, someone is impersonating me on Facebook, I hate it. That's my feeling about Facebook."
Despite concerns about Facebook's challenges in long-term money making potential, changes in user behavior, and Mark Zuckerbeg's impulsive decision making, there is no stopping these celebrities from freely using the social networking site and connecting with their fans like never before. Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber and David Beckham regularly update their pages with photos and personal messages for fans. In addition, stars like Rihanna and Will Smith also use it as a way to promote their latest projects. As to date, rapper Eminem has the most friends on the site with over 58 million, followed by Lady Gaga with over 55 million and Lady Gaga with nearly 51 million.
TV personality Larry King has gotten in on the craze and said social media is hard to avoid.
"I have a Facebook, I have Twitter, I have all of them, but I dictate them, you know what I mean, I don't type. But, hey, social network is today, you can't afford it."
Facebook was initially offered at $38 USD a share.