Facebook Addict? Guilty as Charged!

Now, although I am a total Facebook addict, when I read through the New York Times article Is Facebook Growing Up Too Fast? I found myself agreeing on so many levels.

From the magnificent ways in which Facebook has reunited families and friends to the unfortunate ways in which employees have been terminated; the article examines how this form of social networking technology is impacting our society and how it will continue to do so for many more years down the road.

The article opens by discussing Facebook’s rapid member growth in a matter of months, but in doing so, they have to continue to work hard to keep their numbers rising as they compete on a daily basis with many other social networking sites such a Twitter to stay on top.

One very important way they set themselves a part from others is by “promising to change how we communicate even more fundamentally, in part by digitally mapping and linking peripatetic people across space and time, allowing them to publicly share myriad and often very personal elements of their lives.” This promise has been personally kept to me as I’ve been reunited with countless family members and friends.

From cousins I’ve never been able to meet, to kids I went to school with in the 2nd grade, Facebook has successfully connected me to people I may have never been able to find again, people I hadn’t seen or spoken to in over ten years! It’s simply fabulous!

Another wonderful perk of this social networking site is that it’s free: no more long distance calling.  Connection is instantaneous: you can share pictures, videos, and information in mere seconds! This is something we could never do with someone over the phone or through letters, heck not even email! We can essentially catch up on people’s lives in a matter of minutes by merely navigating through their Facebook page, and it will be like we never missed a day!

Per Mark Zuckerberg, the company’s 24-year-old co-founder and chief executive, Facebook’s mission is “to be used by everyone in the world to share information seamlessly.” He says,” Two hundred million in a world of six billion is tiny, but it’s a cool milestone. It’s great that we reached that, especially in such a short amount of time. But there is so much more to do.”

Although it would appear that Facebook is successfully pushing along, it still has a lot of work to do to make amends for the injured feelings of users like Liz Rabban, 40, who has been turned off by Facebook due to its design changes.

“The changes just feel very juvenile,” Ms. Rabban says. “It’s just not addressing the needs of my generation and my peers. In my circle, everyone is pretty devastated about it.” But Facebook executives argue that the changes are intended to “make the act of sharing — not just information about themselves but what people are doing now — easier, faster and more urgent.”

Although even I was against the initial layout changes, I have grown to like them, or perhaps, I’ve just become content with them since my first priority with Facebook is to stay connected.  I understand Ms. Rabban’s frustration, however I understand also how hard it is for the Facebook executives to keep all two hundred million of their users happy.  They are doing their best to keep us enabled and connected and I personally feel they are doing it very successfully.

On a much more serious note however, amongst all the good that Facebook has enabled, there comes some bad, not by the fault of the site, but rather how its members use the site. Everyone we add on Facebook is put into a “friend” list; however what we have to ask ourselves is this: how many of these “friends” are truly friends? Facebook connects us with true friends, family, networks, acquaintances, teachers, co-workers and even employers.

This article discussed Philadelphia Eagles star safety Brian Dawkins when he left for the Denver Broncos. Gate Chief at Lincoln Financial Field, Dan Leone, vocalized his disappointment to the issue by posting an obscenity regarding the situation on his Facebook status update. Unfortunately, Mr. Leone’s boss, who was his Facebook “friend”, sent the update to an Eagles guest services manager, who then fired him.

This is not the only incident of a Facebook member losing their job over something they posted on their personal profile. However Facebook is strongly encourages its members to practice good privacy settings which are available to help moderate who from our friend list has access to what we post.

There are even videos that discuss privacy issues as well as websites available to  social networking site users that will teach you how to make sure your facebook profile doesn’t lose you a job.

On a brighter note, Facebook is an absolutely wonderful place to network with people that share common interests. I for example, being an active animal rights activist, have participated on petitions like to end factory farming and boycotting animal testing, to supporting groups like the Humane Society of America and Maryland Votes for Animals.

I guess what I love most about Facebook is that it has enabled people with common interests and goals to come together from all over the world to take part on a movement and really make a difference in the world.

I honestly can’t imagine my life without Facebook.  Although I know and understand that it is a luxury and not a necessity, it has played such a huge and important role in my life that it would be hard to continue on without it.

Although I see how Facebook has perhaps turned us into a less-personal society, I also see that it has brought millions of people together.  Whether it is for an important cause, a sport, or creating new friendships, I know I have become a more social and active person because of it.

My ability to connect with family in Luxemburg, classmates in Hawaii, professors at Towson University and friends is instantaneous.  If I want to spread word for an important cause or event, I can do so in a matter of seconds.  The connectivity between me and the rest of the world is jaw-dropping, and one I can’t live without.

Facebook has given professions of journalism, advertising, and public relations a new tool in which they too can connect their ideas, thoughts, and messages to the world faster then before.  They can include written words, pictures, and video all on a single page.

Their viewers can quickly and easily navigate and get the information in so many ways; it really is a revolution of technology and one I can’t imagine any person, regardless of profession, would want to go away.

Thank you Facebook, for making me an addict!

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