Everything in the world has good and bad aspects, and that can definitely be said as true for the phenomenon that is Facebook. Our lives have been taken over by this long running trend, one that has lasted more than a single season, in fact one that has lasted longer than any of us could have possibly predicted. It hasn’t been discarded like last season’s jacket, or pushed to the back of the wardrobe like last year’s shoes. No, Facebook is just as ‘in’ now as it was when it was first open to the global market. More so, even. And let’s be honest, what’s not to love? People of all ages can chat with their friends and family from all around the world for a price much smaller than that of a phone call. Still, everything comes at a cost, and I don’t mean that in a financial sense. So now to the real question: is Facebook a valuable communication platform beneficial to all its users, or merely a time waster that has caused more headaches than happiness? For me, an average college student, I lean further away from the latter. That’s not to say I don’t see both the positives and negatives of Facebook and social networking in general.
Certainly, there are many advantages to Facebook. The easiness of communication is the obvious one. Who could have possibly imagined that someone would create a space where we could communicate, share photos and keep up-to-date with our friends from all over the globe as long as we had access to an internet connection? The idea at the time definitely would have seemed farfetched, just as all the great inventions and discoveries of history, I suppose. Now look at us. The majority of people I know would struggle desperately to live without it. An interview with my friend puts it best when she said, "Facebook has become a force of habit in the digital age in integrating our personal lives with the public. As such, it has diminished personal contact and isolated individuals even while they are together in person."
However, in my opinion, the benefits of Facebook and other social networking sites reach much further than the evident convenience of communication and general socialising. Whether one wants to share his/her feelings with the world, or merely their closest friends, Facebook makes either possible. Although it may be one of the first opportunities for them to feel in a group, but excessive postings on Facebook can actually harm relationships. Furthermore, such sharing of personal lives with the public can lead to cyber-bullying. Nobody even has to hear your voice, let alone see your face, and you can write whatever you like, whenever you like, with no more contact other than that given from your computer monitor. It’s not only the fact that we can never be sure who we are talking to, but other aspects come into it too.
I don’t see social networking, in particular Facebook, as an entirely bad thing or a completely good thing, but simply a combination of the two. As with everything in life, there are elements of both associated with it, and just like junk food and most good things, moderation is the key. As human beings we can’t help but succumb to the latest trend, and I’ll admit to occasionally overdoing it and sacrificing valuable time that could be spent on study or exercise, but we’re not completely to blame.
Certainly, there are many advantages to Facebook. The easiness of communication is the obvious one. Who could have possibly imagined that someone would create a space where we could communicate, share photos and keep up-to-date with our friends from all over the globe as long as we had access to an internet connection? The idea at the time definitely would have seemed farfetched, just as all the great inventions and discoveries of history, I suppose. Now look at us. The majority of people I know would struggle desperately to live without it. An interview with my friend puts it best when she said, "Facebook has become a force of habit in the digital age in integrating our personal lives with the public. As such, it has diminished personal contact and isolated individuals even while they are together in person."
However, in my opinion, the benefits of Facebook and other social networking sites reach much further than the evident convenience of communication and general socialising. Whether one wants to share his/her feelings with the world, or merely their closest friends, Facebook makes either possible. Although it may be one of the first opportunities for them to feel in a group, but excessive postings on Facebook can actually harm relationships. Furthermore, such sharing of personal lives with the public can lead to cyber-bullying. Nobody even has to hear your voice, let alone see your face, and you can write whatever you like, whenever you like, with no more contact other than that given from your computer monitor. It’s not only the fact that we can never be sure who we are talking to, but other aspects come into it too.
I don’t see social networking, in particular Facebook, as an entirely bad thing or a completely good thing, but simply a combination of the two. As with everything in life, there are elements of both associated with it, and just like junk food and most good things, moderation is the key. As human beings we can’t help but succumb to the latest trend, and I’ll admit to occasionally overdoing it and sacrificing valuable time that could be spent on study or exercise, but we’re not completely to blame.