Facebook has become the new social-networking phenomenon. Currently there are over 350 million members and the number is continuing to grow. For many teenagers logging onto Facebook is both the first and last thing they do to start and end their day. Teens tend to spend the most time out of any age group on this particular social networking site, whether it is updating their statuses, commenting friend's pages, playing games, or simply chatting with friends. Communication through Facebook has begun to take the place of actual physical interaction. Not only is Facebook taking over people's social lives, but it is also taking its toll academically. Teens grades have began to plummet, because their school work has taken a backseat to their Facebook use.
So this leads me to ask, are you addicted to Facebook? Do you think about Facebook even when you're not online? Do you use it as an escape from work, school, or problems in general? Do you stay online for a longer time period then expected? If you said yes to two or more of these questions then you my friend may have a Facebook addiction on your hands.
Facebook is becoming a concern for parents. They feel as though their sons and daughters would rather be stuck in a virtual reality than living their own life. One father stated, "It's not healthy for teenagers to be in constant contact with their peers, it only leads to altercations." Facebook use is raising concerns. It has gotten to the point where there have actually coined Facebook as an addiction. There are support groups that specialize in people's addictions to Facebook. Really? A support group for Facebook addicts, what is our society coming to? Some people would rather sit on Facebook than go out and live their lives. Is this how you want to waste your precious time?
If you fear that your Facebook usage is getting in the way of your personal life then these tips may help you out:
1.) The first step in breaking your addiction is admitting your excessive Facebook use.
Spend less time alone. This leaves less time for you to get bored and browse your Facebook for hours on end.
2.)If your homepage on the computer is Facebook then change it to something less appealing. This will help you resist the urge to surf the web.
3.)Find a different way to express your feelings etc... Facebook has become a way for people of all ages to tell others how they are feeling through their profiles and status', so find an alternative such as writing a blog, keeping a diary, or signing up for some type of class. These things will still allow you the freedom to express yourself without the use of Facebook.
Hopefully these tips will allow you to make a positive change in your social life. You don't want to be the one that needs to sign up for Facebook use anonymous in your thirties! (watch the video for more info!)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21dbOiS5fwM
I don't think that I'm addicted to facebook, but I know that plenty of people are. It's rather sad how out of control facebook use has gotten. I think most teens couldn't go a day or two without logging into facebook. In most situations, it's ok. But, when facebook starts to interfere with important things, such as school, it's not a good thing. I've always been taught that things are better in moderation. Too much of one thing, even if it's a good thing, can be bad. For most people, facebook is good because it helps to keep in contact with people that might not always be as easy to keep in contact with. On the other hand, when facebook becomes an addiction, it takes away from the natural, physical contact part of our relationships.
ReplyDeleteI agree that alot of people are addicted to facebook. i know alot of people that are constantly on it. communication like that with people is good to a certain extent. when you find yourself being on it for hours on end... its time to take a step back and go do something else for a while. whats on facebook isn't important enough to take over someones life.
ReplyDeleteI agree with all of this completely. I don't think I am ADDICTED to facebook, but I do think that it's becoming a problem for a lot of people. I do go on facebook a lot more than I probably should, but I don't think about it when I'm not on it, or freak out when I can't go on. It's definitely something that distracts me while I'm trying to do homework. Facebook has definitely consumed days of my life all together, and that's a lot of time I wasted on facebook that I can't back! And when you think about it, there's really nothing that special about facebook that's worth wasting so much time on.
ReplyDeleteI do believe that there are people who are addicted to facebook who even feel they have to update their status on their phone or ipod. This may not necessarily mean ADDICTION but it's not necessary to update what you're doing every minute of the day. There's definitely better things you could be doing like finding a hobby, working out, hanging out with friends, etc. There are other ways of communication. What if Facebook didn't exist?
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree that Facebook is taking over a lot a people's social lives. A lot of people feel like they need to either update their status every hour or constantly be studying the news feed to see what other people are doing. I totally agree that it distracts from homework. It seems that Facebook might actually be doing more harm than good.
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