The Dangers of Facebook Addiction
Fatoumata Soumaré
Issue date: 2/24/06 Section: Opinions
We as college students are under the spell of a new pop culture phenomenon: the Facebook. The majority of us have Facebook accounts, and if the Facebook progresses and adds cooler features like being able to add video to our profiles or, god forbid, collaborating with iTunes, most of us will need rehab just to function normally. Along with television, instant messaging, and the daily jolt, I would say that the Facebook is by far the biggest procrastination tool amongst college students.
I signed onto Facebook in 2004, and when I began, I thought it was just another silly site that I would eventually stop visiting: I would forget my password or just not need it at all. Well, I was wrong. As we all know you can get poked-which many have different explanations for-get listed as a friend, view others' profiles or update your own, upload pictures, give a detailed explanation on how you met your friends: the list goes on and on and on. Anyone who stops at the Campus Center during lunchtime is guaranteed to see at least two people on the first or lower level on the Facebook. This can be frustrating to those who really need to do things like check their e-mail or bank account.
The Facebook has become extremely addictive. During J-term, I took an intensive eight hour French course, and before the last day of the course we were told to get ready to do a debate the next day, without being told specific information on which side we would be debating. Having been told beforehand that the debate accounted for 20 percent of our grades, everyone worked arduously the night before to be equipped to debate any possible side of the upcoming debate. The next day at 10:00 a.m. we were given our sides and were given until 1:00 p.m. in the computer lab to do more research to strengthen our positions. There was no doubt of the panic in us, especially having less than three hours to prepare for something that accounts more for our grades than anything else.
Being in this position, you'd think everyone would get up to stretch or have a drink of water before starting. Guess where all the majority of the class went after signing on to their computer accounts? I'd say 90 percent went on the Facebook and 5 percent were on Aol Instant Messenger. Want to know what was worse? They were on Facebook for at least 20 minutes and they began doing research just to find themselves on the Facebook for another 20 minutes. To sum it up, it was 20 minutes on Facebook, 10 on Aol Instand Messenger and 20 minuets on research, and this went on and on until our time ran out. I do not know about you, but I would take seriously the thing the assignment that more than 20 percent of my grade counted for.
I have more Facebook stories and I'm sure the majority of us have friends, or is that friend, who cannot do anything for herself without having to check the Facebook. The Facebook no doubt has its benefits, like reminding us of our friends' birthdays, or just linking us up with people you haven't heard from since kindergarten, junior high or high school, but that's about all of its benefit. If only the Facebook were a class, I'm sure that we would all pass with flying colors! However, it is presently a method of academic homicide. Perhaps if there were some type of counseling, Smithies could be cured of their addiction to the Facebook. However, until such services are available, we might all be better off if we logged off, and focused on our responsibilities.
I signed onto Facebook in 2004, and when I began, I thought it was just another silly site that I would eventually stop visiting: I would forget my password or just not need it at all. Well, I was wrong. As we all know you can get poked-which many have different explanations for-get listed as a friend, view others' profiles or update your own, upload pictures, give a detailed explanation on how you met your friends: the list goes on and on and on. Anyone who stops at the Campus Center during lunchtime is guaranteed to see at least two people on the first or lower level on the Facebook. This can be frustrating to those who really need to do things like check their e-mail or bank account.
The Facebook has become extremely addictive. During J-term, I took an intensive eight hour French course, and before the last day of the course we were told to get ready to do a debate the next day, without being told specific information on which side we would be debating. Having been told beforehand that the debate accounted for 20 percent of our grades, everyone worked arduously the night before to be equipped to debate any possible side of the upcoming debate. The next day at 10:00 a.m. we were given our sides and were given until 1:00 p.m. in the computer lab to do more research to strengthen our positions. There was no doubt of the panic in us, especially having less than three hours to prepare for something that accounts more for our grades than anything else.
Being in this position, you'd think everyone would get up to stretch or have a drink of water before starting. Guess where all the majority of the class went after signing on to their computer accounts? I'd say 90 percent went on the Facebook and 5 percent were on Aol Instant Messenger. Want to know what was worse? They were on Facebook for at least 20 minutes and they began doing research just to find themselves on the Facebook for another 20 minutes. To sum it up, it was 20 minutes on Facebook, 10 on Aol Instand Messenger and 20 minuets on research, and this went on and on until our time ran out. I do not know about you, but I would take seriously the thing the assignment that more than 20 percent of my grade counted for.
I have more Facebook stories and I'm sure the majority of us have friends, or is that friend, who cannot do anything for herself without having to check the Facebook. The Facebook no doubt has its benefits, like reminding us of our friends' birthdays, or just linking us up with people you haven't heard from since kindergarten, junior high or high school, but that's about all of its benefit. If only the Facebook were a class, I'm sure that we would all pass with flying colors! However, it is presently a method of academic homicide. Perhaps if there were some type of counseling, Smithies could be cured of their addiction to the Facebook. However, until such services are available, we might all be better off if we logged off, and focused on our responsibilities.