The useful side of Facebook

I did not start this blog to bash Facebook, rather warn readers of the possible negativity it can impose on one's life. Facebook can be a very useful and productive tool in moderation. But when one gets in the habit of logging in, this useful tool can turn into an unhealthy obsession. I am not encouraging you to delete your Facebook, but to realize the time it is taking from your life. Rather than logging in every time you're bored, do something productive such as exercising or homework. Many allow Facebook a spot of importance much higher than it deserves. It is often placed above education, work, and real life relationships. Limiting your time on Facebook can help to lead a more productive, overall happier life. My now seven days without Facebook have made me realize that it is not a necessity. The important people in my life are now getting the attention they deserve from me and I have realized who my real 'friends' are.

Do you suffer from Facebook Addiction Disorder (FAD)?

Are you in on the "latest fad?" Facebook Addiction Disorder (with the clever acronym, FAD) is taking over.

Facebook is a phenomenon, a powerhouse, and for some, even a lifestyle. Facebook was intended to be a useful tool for networking, business, and keeping in touch with friends and family. Although Mark Zuckerberg's intentions were harmless when creating this social-networking-giant, Facebook has turned into nothing less than a tool of destructive addiction. This addiction has given Facebook the power to own society. Many do not realize the power that they allow Facebook to possess. The growing usage of this social networking powerhouse is consuming the lives of people all over the world. Every day, more and more people are allowing Facebook to own them.

Facebook Addiction Disorder is not yet a medical term, however; I would not be surprised to see it become one. What is the border line between being a Facebook Addict and simply keeping in touch with friends? Some signs of the disorder (in my opinion) may include:

- feeling as if you NEED to log on everyday

- checking Facebook when waking up and right before going to sleep

- checking Facebook for notifcations regularly

- posting numerous statuses per day

- feeling the need to tell your 'friends' your every action

- spending more time socializing on Facebook than you do in person

I know from personal experience the craving to log into Facebook and seach through my newsfeed to see what my 'friends' are doing. I am only on day six without the use of the site and still feeling the urge to log on.

"Facebook addiction has gone way beyond a simple obession" (Naik)

Here are some "types" of Facebook Addicts, taken from http://www.mdhil.com/the-latest-fad-facebook-addiction-disorder/ 

The lurkers: These are the ones who see everything, read everything but leave no sign that they were ever online. No comments, no shares, heck, these people don’t even hit the like button!
The likers: Speaking of the like button, there are those who seem to hit the like button for everything they see. At their worst, they may end up liking their own status messages!
The attention seekers: These people are always active on Facebook. These people upload pictures, put up status messages with an alarming regularity and usually have more than 1000+ friends.
The gamers: These are the people who flood your newsfeed with random requests from Farmville, Castleville, Mafia wars and the likes. They may even invite you to be their neighbours or join their gang!

What type of Facebook Addict are you?

  Feel free to comment with your thoughts and check back soon for more!

Naik, Abhijit. "Facebook Addiction." Buzzle.com. Buzzle.com, 26 Sept. 2011. Web. 24 Feb. 2012.

Does Facebook Own You?

Today is day number two of Lent. Though I am not Catholic, I gave up something so that I can spend more time with my Heavenly Father. What did I give up? Facebook.

In my Composition 2 class, we are writing essays about ownership. While one could go many ways with this, I decided to write about the media owning Americans. While researching this topic, I came across a site that inspired me to alter my essay: http://www.digitalbuzzblog.com/facebook-statistics-stats-facts-2011/ My topic is now: Facebook Owns The World.


While many social networking sites consume our time, Facbook seems to be in the lead. Facebook is consuming our lives; statistics prove this. I, myself, spend hours a day on Facebook, looking at the statuses of others, updating my own status, keeping up with FB drama, etc. There is a point where one must get off of Facebook and do something productive. Unfortunately, for many of us, we do not choose to reach this particular point.

One site describes Facebook addiction as a disorder, Facebook Addiction Disorder (FAD): http://www.buzzle.com/articles/facebook-addiction.html

An organization called The Anti-Facebook League of Intelligentsia (AFLI) has a very well organized argument against the use of Facebook. Although some of the articles are long, they prove to be very humerous and entertaining. http://theantifacebookleague.com/

Lastly, a document I found while researching this topic encourages Facebook "suicide." http://knol.google.com/k/knol-librarian/facebook-suicide/3habgt1nl2wxs/15# Maybe by the time this blog is done, I will have committed Facebook "suicide!"


This blog will archive my 40 days without Facebook, present statistics on Facebook usage, and give my opinions on the topic. I encourage the reading of these few articles. I hope you enjoy them and find each one as interesting as I did. Thoughts and opinions are welcome, just please be respectful of others. Thanks for reading, check back soon!(: