Facebook: An Opinion

Facebook, for me it's a way to contact with those that are elsewhere, spread around the world. These days it is likened to drugs due to its addictive nature. More and more young people can't seem to do without it or one of the like apps. WhatsApp, etc. their is a need for communication far greater than staying in contact with friends.

This has led me to was the question: "Why has Facebook become so important in our lives?" Why does it play such an essential role when other options present themselves? Each person can answer these questions on their own because it is different from person to person.

Since that is the case I am only in the position to speak for myself.

I will talk about my personal experience with Facebook. I am not certain if I was an early adopter. My account was created in 2009 it means that it is now ten years old. But only ten years old. For the life of an adult that doesn't seem like a lot. For th teens this may be different. At that time the goal was that I was like everyone I know. It was to stay in contact. It is important to mention that at that time I accepted anyone who made a friend request. When people talked to me it was not uncommon that would converse with them. Of course I did not do anything stupid but I amassed a lot of "friends" that were merely pleasant acquaintances. Over the years I found that I have a lot of people associated with my account that I do not need since we no longer talk. Many of them I know very well for a short period of time. Unlike acquaintances in real-life they went away. Today, I do not accept those random request. They would only become a decoration that in a short time would move on.

As the time went by I got used to Facebook and it was more predictable, then.

The "Like" button changed that and made the experience strange. You see, it has different definitions, it does not always mean that I like your photo etc.. For example: it sometimes expresses love, lack, sadness, or joy. At other times it means that I am there, that I miss you, or that I have not forgotten you, feelings can be expressed in many ways even by a simple click. But it can just as easily be perceived as a slap in the face when you forget to click.

And you can have a lot of friends to look after. "Friends," I know people that have 500, 1000 and even more. Honestly I think that it's crazy, for many though that is their social net. But to quote Aristotle: "a friend to all men, is a friend to no man."

Think about it. When you need it, who's there for you? This large number of friends are not the real friends, it's just a number, a number that shows you that you have learned to play the social media game.

Good friends are your family, your brothers and sisters, those who have always been by your side, not those who have no time to write you a quick note.

Good friends are not behind the screen, they are their in front of you.

Relationships do turn into real connections. I do not know if they succeed or not. I do not know anyone who has connected this way but there are those who got married thanks to Facebook, there are those who have built friendships, and reconnected with old ones.

Facebook can be negative when it becomes obsessive but it can also be a positive thing, it depends on how you use it.