Wake up in the morning feeling like…
It’s not P. Diddy, or whatever he calls himself these days. Most of us are guilty of checking Facebook while wiping away the crust from our eyes. For some, it fulfills the desire to stay in the loop. For others, it’s a habit.
Earlier this month, J.B. Smitts of Weekly World News wrote an article stating Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg would shut the site down in March, claiming maintenance of the site was becoming too stressful.
This rumor spread like wildfire producing reactions both good and bad. One tweet, like others flooding the Internet, read, “W-wait. Facebook's shutting down in March? I mean, FOREVER?!”
Facebook soon tweeted, saying, “We didn't get the memo about shutting down, so we'll keep working away. We aren't going anywhere; we're just getting started.”
Based on the uproar, it’s safe to say the amount of time we’re on Facebook is alarming. Last year, the Nielsen Company conducted a study revealing that the average person is on the site for seven hours a day. Glance around any given class — unless laptops are prohibited — and you’re sure to notice most people are distracted on Facebook. It’s sad, but true.
“I think as humans, we’re just naturally intrigued and fascinated by other people and their lives. This, and also just people wanting to share their own lives with others makes it very addicting, and in return, can become an obsession,” said exercise and wellness freshman Samantha Bradley.
We are a curious species. Facebook lets people thumb through our lives like an open book.
What do we love about Facebook anyway?
For freshman Mark Weldon, a nursing student, he likes that “the chat feature can be turned off.” He also enjoys being able to stay updated with friends and family.
An advantage of Facebook is how it allows us to keep connected — or even reconnect — with our loved ones, which especially benefits students far from home.
Dietetics and global health sophomore Haley Mollhagen agrees. For her, it’s better than talking on the phone with people, like her family in Michigan. “My sister is pregnant, so I can see her move along [through her Facebook pictures],” she said.
If Smitts’ article rang true, we’d have a dilemma. How else could we connect with our “friends”? Texting is an alternative, but there’s something egotistical about giving and receiving wall posts; we love the attention. Sending e-mails seems nostalgic now. It works, but it’s “slow,” as Mollhagen described.
Could we function without hearing the chat sound a million times a day? What if the ability to electronically — and creepily — poke people was revoked? Would we resort to Myspace? No thanks. Sorry, Tom.
Weldon, Bradley and Mollhagen all agree that Facebook is “just a website;” If it shut down, it “wouldn’t be the end of the world.”
As great as Facebook is, our overuse of it is problematic. Enough is enough and we should wean ourselves off of it. It’s time to face reality. Communicating via the Internet doesn’t suffice.
There should be less communication through Facebook and more face-to-face conversations. Instead of sending a message or writing on someone’s wall, using the good ol’ pen and paper more often for quirky notes wouldn’t hurt. As far as the poking conundrum, well, that might be a little awkward.
Refrain from poking Ashley at alhaines@asu.edu
