These are the familiar words that go down in history: "Someone has sent you a request to add you as a friend, but before you can approve that, you must confirm that you are really friends with with that someone." If you're lucky enough to receive a notification saying that phrase, best thing to do is to approve the request. If you don't, how else can you read each other's profiles every five seconds, or post inside jokes on each other's walls? I think we all know what I'm talking about here; it's the Facebook , and it has changed the way we live an average citizens.
Many have said, "Facebook! it is the worst social disease to hit college campuses worldwide," and I'd have to agree with that particular statement. So let's take look deeper into this new Disease that has taken so many of us captive on it. Being a member of this kind of addictive Social networking site, I had realized that quite possibly the most crucial aspect of the Facebook is creating a flawless profile. Many of us are pissed of spending hours upon hours creating our profile to make sure we come across as desirable to that special someone stumbling upon it. An attractive photo is the first step to the perfect profile. Next, your music interests have to be listed, but in all honesty it's just an opportunity for people to pretend they are really eclectic with their music tastes. For example one might write: "I'm totally into Death Cab for Cutie," "The Pussycat Dolls" and "Yo-Yo Ma." You don't really have to try to impress other people by listing every band you've ever heard of, it's pretty obvious that you're pretending.
Then there is always the request for friendship from that old high school friend, who you actually never said a word to in high school. Maybe it was the person who laughed in your face when you asked them to prom, and now expects you to accept their friendship. Heck no. I say reject that "friendship" and show them what they missed out on. Then, there's that whole "poking" deal. I will never forget the first time I was "poked." I just sat there at my computer dumbfounded, in awe of the words I saw in front of me: "You have been poked, do you want to poke back?" I wasn't sure if I should be offended, flattered or violated.
There's also that whole stalking thing, too. Let's be honest. We can all admit that Facebook has opened a possibilities and opportunities to stalk people. For example: last year there was a guy in one of my classes who caught my sight, and being too scared and shy to talk to him in person, I searched him on Facebook. About a few minutes later I find myself sitting in my room listening to the list of mp3s that I got off his AIM profile and flipping through his Web shots. What was I doing? I didn't even know the guy and already he was serenading me. Now, I can't help but ask myself what is going to come of us if we continue communicate thru Facebook and Instant Messenger? Will we eventually meet people, start dating, get engaged, get married and have kids and get divorced, all in one chat session? I know it might seem like I'm sitting here pointing my finger at all of you, but I'm just as guilty of Facebook addiction and compulsive away message reading as the next screen name on your buddy list. To be completely honest, I haven't yet met my Collegiate Times editor in person, because all we do is pass e-mail back and forth.
What killed normal human interaction? I think we have simply become lazy. It's easier to put up an away message that will let people know if you've had a bad day or billboard every single detail of what your schedule entails for that day: "Off to class, then lunch, then the gym, then the bathroom, then washing my hands, then drying them." Who needs to know all of that?
So here is what I say to you all of you who sit at your computers and check away messages and stalk the guy you saw at Hokie Grill once "stop living like this". I'm convinced that we could fritter our whole lives sitting in front of the computer screen. What we need to do is ask ourselves this question: "What will happen when all of my buddies are away, or when the Internet connection cuts short." We need to face it and realize that life doesn't happen on a computer screen, that having a bunch of friends on Facebook doesn't make you cool.
Live your life for real.
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