Facebook: the time-consuming black hole that brings out the procrastination in all of us. Facebook is an online social networking website where users share information ranging from last summer’s vacation photos to basic person identification, such as religion, political views, and relationship status. It may seem boring when you look at Facebook’s business model, but when your Facebook “friends” feel comfortable enough to post pictures, videos, blogs, and daily statuses about their life in revealing and personal ways, Facebook suddenly becomes a doorway into their lives.
I placed “friends” in quotation marks because are Facebook friends really our friends at all? Has today’s definition of “friend” been watered down so drastically that little to no real life interaction is necessary to maintain a friendship? A comment here, a “like” there, a wall post over there; has all of this electronic interaction replaced handshakes, high fives, or visiting a friend to see how they are? I hope the answer is no, but with the constant electronic influence on our daily lives, a true social skills lacking society might be heading that way.
There are pros and cons to Facebook. Cons: people waste too much time looking into other people’s lives (sometimes on a creepy level), procrastination increases, potential sexual predators can contact younger Facebook users, inappropriate pictures/videos might surface making you lose your job, and people are likely to create a false sense of reality by constantly updating their status making it appear like they have a life, but they really are home all day doing nothing.
On the other hand, Facebook has several pros. Facebook can serve as a massive contact list. There have been countless times I have gone to Facebook in order to find someone’s contact information. Another plus, you can find old friends you have lost contact with over the years. You can also seek advice by talking to a friend that happens to be online and receive instantaneous feedback regarding a matter. It is also possible to keep in contact with someone that is living across the world. Facebook can bring people together.
A perfect example proving that Facebook can be a good thing is when you consider the case of my best friend’s mother. She decided to get a Facebook around 2008 or 2009. She was able to track down some old childhood friends and had a pleasant time catching up with them. Earlier in 2010, she was diagnosed with cancer. She was able to document her strong fight through daily Facebook statuses, and people that were states away were not left in the dark about her situation. They had the chance to give her quick words of encouragement through status comments and wall posts. This past August 23rd, she sadly lost her fight against the terrible disease. Her Facebook has almost become a memorial to her where people can still write on her wall expressing their sadness. People can see pictures of her and the life she loved.
After reading the comments on her Facebook wall, it is clear to see just how valuable Facebook was during her last few months. Her friends expressed how grateful they were that they reconnected before she passed away. No doubt, the conversations she had with friends via Facebook were priceless. Yes, one could argue that she could have called her friends on the telephone, but during that time of extreme weakness, a simple Facebook status did the trick of updating hundreds of her friends in an instant.
Love it or hate it, Facebook has certainly made an impact in today’s world. I'm sure there are other similar cases like my best friend's mother, so I hope Facebook is used to bring people together during difficult times. However, odds are Facebook is most used during times of deadline and finals week. I wouldn't expect much less from our society that's rich in procrastination, with a side of creeper.