It's 1 a.m. and I probably should be writing an article for the News-Letter, or doing the reading for my Anthropology course, or even answering my mom's last e-mail. Instead, I'm staring at an all too familiar screen.
You probably know which one I'm talking about. I'll give you a hint: on the right side a small icon tells me that the Heroes premiere is tonight and another icon tells me that four of my friends have their birthdays tomorrow.
On the left is an endless list, stating the actions in the last five hours of practically each and every person I've ever met. This person posted pictures, that person changed their status, these people broke up.
If you haven't guessed it by now, you've probably been living under a rock or just have far more self control than myself. The culprit? Facebook.
I'm afraid I, like far too many students, have a huge case of Facebook-itis. Or perhaps Facebook-phelia is a better term to use. I am guilty of posting on my boyfriend's wall when he is sitting right next to me on the couch. I am guilty of sifting through other people's pictures when I should be studying. And I am definitely guilty of listlessly clicking on just about anything, going from one "friend" to the next, just because it's easier than actually doing my work.
Facebook is, without a doubt, the most convenient procrastination tool. I couldn't even begin to explain to you why I visit the site almost as compulsively as I check my e-mail (and believe me, that's bad as well), but it's definitely an addiction.
Luckily for me, I'm not alone. When confessing this sick obsession to friends, I've found that many hang their heads in shame and admit that they, too, have spent far too many hours on Facebook. In fact, they have gone so far as to call themselves Facebook-stalkers or creepers. However, unlike myself, they apparently are too ashamed of their actions to allow me to report their names.
Nevertheless, I myself, while I don't take pride in it, am not embarrassed by my time spent on the networking site. For one thing, it's the only contact I have with many people. Now being a junior, several of my friends are abroad, and this is a free, fast way to see how they are doing without having to coordinate time zones. I can talk to my brother in San Francisco about how freaky it is that our baby sister is now driving. I can find out about my sister's latest boyfriends (another freaky occurrence) before my mom does. Even my best friend's autistic brother has a Facebook page. So do several of my friends' mothers. The site is what it's advertising itself to be: a networking/friendship site.
However, I have to admit that while this is excellent, Facebook has lost some of its flair for me. While it's great to be able to contact just about anybody on the face of the planet, the exclusivity is gone. The site used to be a rite of passage upon the obtaining of a college e-mail address. Then they opened it up to anybody with a high school network. And now anybody with a pulse and a general knowledge of a computer can join.
While this obviously doesn't stop my idle surfing through people's profiles, it does make what I find less interesting. The number of graduation photo albums I encountered over the summer was sickening. While it may be exciting for someone in high school or a recent high school graduate to view, frankly I could care less about another hundred people in caps and gowns.
Whether or not you agree with the direction Facebook is taking (including the oh-so-controversial debate over the latest layout), chances are you have submitted to its powers, at least briefly. Is this a bad thing? If you don't talk to people in person, yes. But all in all, a little procrastination never hurt anybody.
