Week #9 - Social Networks: Facebook

I've been using Facebook for a while now and I have mixed feelings about it. I find myself both loving and hating it at the same time. Some of the pros to Facebook are that you can find long lost friends from high school. Hey, I've even found some from my childhood. It's also a great way to find out about parties and events and who's attending them. Being able to post and view photos/videos is another great feature. I like the fact that you can keep track of your friends and family, no matter how near or far they are, without having to talk to them constantly. However, you can always IM them if talking is not your thing. This may seem a bit anti-social, but time is precious! Finally, the cool thing about Facebook is that it really adds to that 6 degrees of separation theory - basically there is usually someone linked to someone else and everyone has at least one shared friend.

Now for the cons...Facebook is very addictive. There are times when I tend to procrastinate other important things I should be doing so that I can log on and get my FB fix. Secondly, you can keep tabs on friends without EVER having to talk to them...so much for catching up the good old fashioned way. Getting constant updates from people can also be annoying. However, there is a way to change the settings so that one can pick and choose who they want to receive updates from. Also, it's way too easy to "Facebook stalk" people or atleast feel like that's what you're doing. If you don't keep a tight lid on your profile and use those privacy settings, too many people will know too much about you! There is also the chance that a person(s) who you really do not like, is added to your friend list just for the sheer reason that you felt guilty about offending them - talk about fake, LOL. There are other, more abstract things I like and dislike about Facebook, but they'd be too difficult to explain.

Overall, Facebook is a fun and useful tool. If you are cautious and selective about the info you decide to put out there on Facebook, I don't think one has much to worry about.