Facebook. MySpace. Skype. Google+. Tumblr. Twitter. Flickr. Blogger. Have you guessed the pattern yet? Well for those of you who maybe aren't as internet-savvy as the average teenager, I'll give you a hint. SOCIAL NETWORKING! It's one of the great evils/loves of my life. I've discussed this topic in past entries, however, at the moment, I'd like to focus on the positives of the thing that has taken over the lives of such a great percentage of the population. Regardless of how so many people say that these popular sites are "over-rated" and say that they never use them (even though they really do); places like Facebook and Blogger are some of the most useful websites I can think of.
I can't count the number of times I've needed homework help and turn to Facebook. With access to almost everyone in my school, it's simple and quick to reach someone in any of my given classes in order to get an assignment I forgot to write down, or help with a certain problem that I just can't figure out. Even more important to me than the academic benefit I see to Facebook, is my family. A great deal of my relatives live all the way over in Norway. It's not exactly easy to pick up a phone and call them; that's just expensive, there's the seven time difference to take into account, it's difficult. However, with the help of Facebook, I have access to my extended family's stray thoughts they decide to post, their pictures, what they're up to, I get a taste of what their life is like. My parents will often mention to me that one of their friends they haven't seen since high school, an old college professor, or an ex-colleague friended them on Facebook. These are people that my parents haven't given a thought in the past twenty years, and with a click on their profile, they can see all they've missed in those lost years.
It continues to boggle my mind how fast information can travel through Facebook. In the past few years, my high school has experienced several student or teacher deaths. Each time one of these students, teachers, or even a celebrity dies, I have always found out first from Facebook posts. How do you think I found out about Osama Bin Ladin being caught and killed? A news site? No way, it was Facebook! Social networking sites are a beacon of information, just waiting for you to click the "Join Now" button. We have so much insight into our friends lives now. There are certainly downsides, but I met a second cousin who lives in Norway through Facebook, and now she's one of my best friends. I've been saved from dozens of "catastrophes" in which I forgot to write down the homework in a class through posting a question on my Facebook "wall". There's so much information provided, given, and shared. A friend of mine who has boycott Facebook ever since the phenomenon started just succumbed to the social networking site today. We properly welcomed her to the 21st century.
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