Opinion
Columnist challenges peers to resist Facebook
October 28, 2010
After sitting down to think of a clever topic to cover in this week’s column, I will admit, I have checked my Facebook at least ten or more times. Not only is Facebook continuously pulled up on students’ laptops, but just when you thought the person next to you in class was texting, they’re actually one of the 150 million users currently posting their status with the not so new Facebook application for cell phones.
Facebook presently has over 500 million users: are you one of them? These facts provided by the Facebook Press Room are none too surprising when you realize that in the one dorm room you’re sitting next to five of your friends with Facebook pulled up on their laptops.
More research psychologists are finding that Facebook is being used by people to escape current life problems, procrastinate on homework or even to talk “face-to-face” with someone online. Although Facebook can be used for not so good things, it also can be constructively used to talk with friends and share photos. However, I think Facebook has become slightly irritating.
Last week, my chemistry partner and I were in the library looking for a computer to use to type up our lab reports for the week. While looking for a computer we found that four of them were being used by students on Facebook. We waited a good hour before getting a computer to do homework! The best part is, my chemistry partner and I ended up using a computer from a student who finished their homework before the other students on Facebook.
Facebook has become an addiction that most people don’t realize they have until five hours of looking through pictures and chatting has taken place. For me, Facebook became such an addiction that I gave it up for Lent last year just to see how much I would miss it. Forty days without Facebook opened up a ton of time for homework and more time spent hanging out with friends, not to mention a few extra hours of sleep per night. It was one of the best ideas I have ever had!
I would challenge every person involved with Facebook to try to stay clear of it for a week. It’s a fun challenge that will help open up time to get other things done. It’s once again no surprise to know that Facebook is a close second to Google on the internet.
Ashley Cress is a student at UW-River Falls.
Comments
Library Sense on 02 Nov 2010: Facebook, and many computer-applications potentially becoming addictive is a societal-concern all app-users should constantly keep in mind. Being in "the thick of it", especially when most friends around also are; decreases one's ability to realize how deep they are in! "... to escape current life problems, procrastinate ..." — Indeed, using any technology as a surrogate for more fruitful endeavors, can diminish the value technologies ostensibly were implemented for in the first place. With mounting privacy and usability concerns in the news lately, some are too fed-up with Facebook to continue using it. The terms of use, interface, needing javascript constantly-enabled, etcetera, has caused LibrarySense to not use Facebook, and; Twitter is "burdensome" enough. "... in the library looking for a computer to use to type up our lab reports ... four of them were being used by students on Facebook. We waited a good hour before getting a computer to do homework!" — Were you also waiting for the "Quick Kiosks"? [You can, at least, use Wordpad (and, now; save to USB), but; not Word] Community-users who HAVE to use "Quick Kiosks", sometimes are also waiting behind students using Facebook. Being courteous to students, LibrarySense recommends community-users try to go later in the evening anyway. Hopefully, the student-only computers don't have the same impediments, but; bear in mind that if on the few "Quick Kiosks"; ever since the new Dell Optiplex's were installed a few months ago: right-clicking has, again, been disabled on Windows-Explorer panes, and; Wordpad [.RTF files], again; incorrectly default-open in Word-Viewer. Also, good for students; since beginning this semester: the library-basement computer labs are 24 hours Sunday-Thursday nights (hope not too much Facebooking is going on!). PS: Ashley; your columns are always interesting and informative. Thank you.