“This is what drives life at college. "Are you having sex or aren't you?"”
Por qué es buena
The blunt question that explains why the feature will win.
Registro
Informal
Úsala tú
This is what drives life at the gym. Are you even lifting or not?
00:00 / 03:12
00:00 / 03:12
Facebook Launches Relationship Status, Explained
The Social Network · 2010
Capítulo 8 de 23 · 3'12"
Mark adds two features that turn The Facebook into a social map: "Relationship Status" and "Interested In." He argues that this is what college life actually runs on, and launches the site that night by mailing the Phoenix list. "The site's live," someone reports, and the product is officially out.
Key moments
Start here, then watch the full scene- 1:16–2:01
❝ Monólogo · 5 frases Mark Adds Relationship Status
45s - 1:59–3:03
The Facebook Goes Live
65s
Facebook Launches Relationship Status, explained
What happens
Late at night, Mark keeps building The Facebook and adds "Relationship Status" and "Interested In," arguing that romance and social standing are what college really runs on. He borrows Eduardo's Phoenix mailing list to launch the site, and it goes live that night.
What's really going on
Two new fields, "Relationship Status" and "Interested In," turn a dorm-room tool into a theory of people. The idea is that college runs on wanting to be wanted, and the product's appeal is that it says this out loud. The line, "This is what drives life at college," is not really bragging; it is the thesis, and the site is built to prove it. The launch also shows what the founders are willing to do to win: borrowing a partner's contacts and mailing the Phoenix list, over his worry about how it will look. The launch is small — "The site's live" — but the idea behind it is huge, and it will cost everyone in the room something sooner or later.
Key lines & what they mean
- “This is what drives life at college. "Are you having sex or aren't you?"”
- Mark's blunt theory of campus life, and the business insight behind the new features: everyone is measuring status and desire.
- “People don't walk around with a sign on them that says...”
- A line about missing information. The site exists to supply what people cannot see about one another at a glance.
- “It's why people take certain classes and sit where they sit and do what they do.”
- The general claim behind the product: small choices are really social strategy, and the site can map them.
- “You have no idea what that's gonna mean to my father.”
- A rare moment of pride and family pressure, spoken by a partner who cares about the title on the masthead.
Theme
- Ambition — Mark turns a dorm project into a launch, using a friend's contacts and his own idea to force his way forward.
- Identity — The new features show the film's thesis: the site is built on how people want to be seen and desired.
Qué aprendes en este capítulo
Puntos de enseñanza
Repasa justo después de verMi nivel1/4
A1–C2 es la escala MCER. Las tarjetas por encima del nivel elegido se atenúan y la reproducción no se pausa en ellas.
Puntos de lengua
Toca una tarjeta para saltar a ese momentoFrases de oro
Una gran frase en sí misma: por qué y cómo usarla“People don't walk around with a sign on them that says...”
Por qué es buena
The line that accidentally writes the product spec.
Registro
Informal
Úsala tú
People don't walk around with a sign on them that says what they need.
“It's why people take certain classes and sit where they sit and do what they do.”
Por qué es buena
A run of ordinary details reveals the invisible motive behind campus life.
Registro
Neutral
Úsala tú
It's why people take certain meetings and sit where they sit and say what they say.
“You have no idea what that's gonna mean to my father.”
Por qué es buena
A small title carries a lifetime of family expectation.
Registro
Neutral
Úsala tú
You have no idea what that's gonna mean to my mother.
Monólogo
Un personaje sostiene la escena: practícalo entero❝ Mark's product pitch
This is what drives life at college. "Are you having sex or aren't you?" It's why people take certain classes and sit where they sit and do what they do. And at its center, you know, that's what The Facebook is gonna be about. People are gonna log on because after all the cake and watermelon, there's a chance they're actually gonna...
From Relationship Status to why people log on: hormones as the site's center.
Siguiente · 09give someone the fingerLa escena: The Winklevosses Debate Suing MarkPreguntas frecuentes
La pregunta, luego la fraseWhat two features does Mark add to The Facebook?
"Relationship Status" and "Interested In." Both are about romance and social standing, which Mark argues is what college life is really organized around.
Why does Mark want the Phoenix mailing list?
Because those students know people, and Mark wants the new site to spread beyond his own friends. He asks to use Eduardo's account to send the launch to them.
Why is Eduardo uneasy about the launch?
He worries that mailing the Phoenix members will reflect badly on him, since the contacts are his. He goes along with it, but the discomfort is already there.
What does "happen to know" mean here?
It is a polite way to ask whether someone knows something. Asking a classmate "Do you happen to know if she has a boyfriend?" is softer than a direct question.