The Wonders of Facebook

Ahh, Facebook: one of many applications out there that is so beneficial yet so detrimental.  Everyone who has one knows what I mean.  

For those uninformed individuals out there, Facebook is a social networking website.  It allows you to keep in touch with friends who live far away (And friends in general).  Anybody, anywhere with Internet can create a free profile on this site, so Facebook exists around the globe.  It is a sufficient alternative to using a phone.  It sometimes brings people together who would normally be distant.  And, of course, it is a form of media and entertainment.  As you can see, Facebook has many advantages, and some may even go further to say that it improves people's way of life.  However, next to those advantages are countless disadvantages.

The main problem with Facebook is despite privacy settings, anything you post on the site will exist in cyberspace forever, even if you delete it.  If you post something personal about yourself and choose to delete it, Facebook (and perhaps the authorities) can still access it.  In addition, if you don't tinker with privacy settings, anyone can look at your profile, even non-friends.  I've heard stories of managers looking at Facebook pages of interviewees to find out more personal information and decide if they are fit for the job.  I've also heard of principals or deans looking at students' Facebook profiles to find an excuse to get them in trouble.  For teens, those cliché "red cup" pictures can get them in major trouble, because it is assumed that the beverage being consumed contains alcohol.  Another problem with Facebook is the addiction factor.  It is very easy for anyone to become addicted to Facebook.  I mean, there's an endless amount of things to do on the site.  You can post on people's profiles, you can play games, you can chat with friends, or you can update your status.  Oftentimes, people will put off their work because they're too obsessed with Facebook.  I can't say that it's never happened to me.  There is also the constant cyber-bullying on Facebook, a whole new level of bullying.  Now that we live in the digital age, most bullies are too lazy to degrade people in person, so with Facebook, all they have to do is type a few words to a person and viola!  they obtain the same "high" as they would if they bullied in person.

Although I myself have a Facebook account, it's hard for me to say that it benefits more than hurts me.  I know I'm being hypocritical here, but if you're considering making your own Facebook account, I would refrain from doing so.  Despite the fact that it allows you to keep in contact with distant friends, it is just a  way for authorities to know more about you than they really should.