The new era

People will tend to dismiss this Facebook argument as insignificant and petty. However the Facebook population has become so large, it alone, could rank in as one of the ten most populated countries. Facebook is no small matter. It is the vanguard of social networking and the new era of net life. However we must acknowledge the pros and cons of Facebook and talk of not its existence but use.

As history has proven technology, however criticized, will stay. The television was the symbol of deteriorating muscles, coach potatoes, lack of communication, and increased immorality of those who watch television. Has this proven to be correct? No. Is the television still thriving despite many arguments? Yes. Will Facebook stay after we argue for its banishment from human history? Yes. While we argue about whether or not Facebook really ruins our lives we should talk about how we can use it to help our lives.

What is Facebook? It is the biggest social networking site in history. It integrates personal life, personal writings, photos, games, interest groups, and information. It is prone to misuse by revealing info that’s too personal, wasting time, stalking, addiction, hacking, and allowing superficial communication (anti-socialism). Our school’s survey found from 144 students and staff only 28 didn’t have Facebook. This is Facebook.

The main opposition of Facebook lies in the fact that Facebook promotes superficial communication, prone to addiction and misuse, and security is not tight. All three are the worries which can be resolved.

Superficial communication, this isn’t an issue of today but of the future. Technological advances are promoting more and more virtual worlds in which people can change themselves and live in it. In the past everybody had to talk face to face with the exception of messengers or letters, for those who could read and write. Now people have methods such as texting, telephone, e-mail, chatting, Facebook, etc, all valid methods which promotes superficial communication to a certain degree.

Facebook users are being accused of being ever more anti-social. However why is it wrong for somebody to hide behind Facebook and try to become a better friend? Students can be taught at home via a computer without even meeting the teacher even once. Why isn’t that method rebuked by the public? Martin Luther King Jr. spoke out against racism while Tolstoy wrote against the corrupt society. Was Tolstoy immoral because he didn’t speak against it face-to-face but rather, chose to fight it by using personas which weren’t Tolstoy but only his imagination? Communication via the computer is the communication of the new age. Diplomatic negotiations are now conducted via the computer on numerous occasions. It’s a trend which we can’t oppose. What we should do is find a way of sincere communication even through Facebook. Facebook won’t create a society desolate of relationships, it will open a new way of conducting communication and interaction.

Though it’s true that many feel that they spend too much time on Facebook we have found out this is not the case. Sixty percent of the people surveyed admitted that they didn’t use Facebook for more than one hour. Amazingly enough, this trend was higher in the younger classes and older classes. Ninth and Tenth grade spend the most time on Facebook and decreased as the classes progressed. Sixth and Twelfth grade and staff members spend the least time on Facebook. The younger classes were more prone to use Facebook as a method of entertainment (gaming and photos) while the older classes used it in a much more useful manner.

This trend can be attributed to the fact that the sixth graders are yet learning about such sites and joining steadily. They are restricted by lack of knowledge of Facebook and parents who will not allow excessive time on the computer. The ninth and tenth graders are able to spend however much time on Facebook with much less restrictions. They know it all and their parents put the responsibility on them. However, possibly due to the immaturity, they choose to spend much more time on Facebook and get addicted by it. Of all the people who spend more than 4 hours a day on Facebook, 66% were ninth graders. The eleventh and twelfth graders being much older know the detrimental cons to excessive Facebook. They are mature enough to control themselves and limit their time on Facebook to less than an hour a day. This can show that people will gradually learn how to use Facebook much more usefully. However it’s best that we teach everybody how and why we should limit our use of Facebook. An excess of anything is poison even if it’s medicine.

Security is an easy issue which can be avoided if we care to spend just one hour on the security features and finding out which friends we have. By going into the settings of Facebook one can find numerous ways to get rid of stalkers, block unwanted strangers, get rid of those application invitations, limit what others can see or write and protect your own account. Often what we complain about are things that we can easily avoid.

Facebook is not impersonal, a cocaine, or a black hole of personal information. It’s a trend of society which we must follow and teach others how to use it properly and in a better way.