The Facebook Addiction

Wow, I am so glad that I have read these articles! I believe the question of "Am I a facebook addict?" has to pop into every active members mind at least once. That's because the topic of Facebook Addiction has been on blogs, magazines and even in the news. Especially for teenagers. Well first we need to digest the fact that social networking will eventually be all over the world.  It's huge business and it should be. Eventually it will be how all us humans communicate and stay connected. In all actuality, we are very close to the fact now. For businesses it is a dream come true, to constantly stay in contact with your fans or customers. That sure beats a measly magazine advertisement any day. Cause as you might already know, everyone loves to hit the "Like" button; which just boosts the message even more. So advertising is on a whole new level there but let's get back to the individual issue of addiction. Can facebook be addictive? Well let me say from personal experience - Yes. In a time before facebook people had to wait till they were older to receive an invite to an old high school reunion, and that is if they were lucky and found. Not anymore, people are staying more connected. So I guess I'm more approving the good use of facebook rather than bashing it. There does need to be limitations though. Facebook reported that the average member spends an hour a day logged in. Now for the other members the time goes on up to six to eight hours. Now that is just way too much time. There I would say, is a facebook addict. Here are a few questions to ask yourself before your next hour on the News Feed - do you ignore your kids/spouse or friends (that you are face to face with), do you put off your daily routines or responsibilities, are you on there when you should be working, are you on there while out to dinner with someone and totally ignoring their presence, are you happier on there than interacting with friends face to face, and are you letting it control your every move? I see status updates that read "I just love coffee" and "I just ran 5 miles". Oh and my favorite is, "ok I'm going to bed, goodnight everyone" and then just six or eight hours later there's "ok, good morning everyone". Now those status posts can be left out. In example: no one needs to know when your going to the dentists office or that you just went to the bathroom cause you got a bad tummy ache. Now that we know the bad that can come from too much facebook, lets look at all of the positives as well. If you have Liked AMW (Americas Most Wanted) on there or other crime or news sites, you would have seen the criminals firsthand and know what they look like. People and associations have posted "Have You Seen This Person" pictures on facebook and the people have been seen and found. There has been missing children found with Amber Alerts where people can be on the lookout for the suspects and child. And here is one of my actual experiences - a teenage girl I've known since her birth, posted a status update one night that read, "I just ate the whole bottle of pills". Now there's a serious suicide attempt or a major cry out for help. I immediately called my friend, the girls uncle, and contacted her grandmother. So there was me along with a few other of her (facebook addict) friends that saw her status update and contacted the right people very quickly. She was rushed to the hospital, they pumped her stomach and she lived. But there is a prime example of how sometimes; having a little too much social media in your life can be a good thing. But you have to take some breaks, don't let my story be your new excuse to stay on longer, no one can save the world and my experience was by chance. But I must say a good chance. Social media will only evolve from here. Though one-day facebook wont be as popular as it now, there will be some other simpler way to network with everyone. Just how MySpace has dwindled down, so will all others as history always repeats itself.