Facebook is a social network on the internet. It was founded in February 2004, by a man named Mark ZuckerBurg. Today Facebook has over one billion users; that is about three times the population of the United States! Even after nine years, its popularity is still very much on the rise, and it has definitely passed the stage where it can be shrugged off as mass hysteria. The site has constantly adapted, and even reinvented itself in many ways according to the needs, and often the greed of its users.
Many people enjoy Facebook, including myself. A lot of positive things have come from Facebook. It is a way to keep in contact with people, share photos, and video chat. For those of you who may not know; video chatting is something you can do through a website if you have a web camera that allows you to talk to someone while seeing their face online. It’s very convenient to keep in touch with family that live out of town, you’ll also be able to see photos of them and their family, see status updates which allows you to read what’s going on in their lives from day to day.
A few other positive things that Rahul Thadani, a writer for Buzzle. com (2012) wrote are that registering on the Facebook site is an extremely smooth process. It also transcends all physical boundaries, and lets you connect with long-lost friends and distant family. The site offers you the freedom to choose whom you would like to share your updates with. The site also gives you the opportunity to express yourself, and be heard. Many online games that are part of Facebook let you unwind and even promote social interaction with their many multiplayer functions.
If it were a nation, Facebook, with one billion users would be the third most populous country in the world! On the other hand Facebook has its disadvantages also. Although a lot has been done to improve its site’s security, Facebook still has a lot of loopholes. Privacy is a major concern for most Facebook users, and you need to take care to see who you share your social feeds with. You can be bombarded with updates with things that don’t really interest you or are of your concern; these could be updates about your acquaintances or even about the pages that people in your friends list may randomly like.
The frequent updates; although meant to improve the overall user experience, also means that you need to update your security settings often to keep up with the changes. My opinion is that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. I enjoy using Facebook daily, which is the reason I chose to write about it. I keep in contact with friends and family, especially the ones that live out of town; express my feelings, and am able to see my friends and family’s feelings as well.
I enjoy seeing pictures that they post and watch their children grow, and also know of any upcoming events I might like to attend. I’ve been invited to birthdays and open houses through Facebook. It’s convenient for me with my busy life and raising two daughters. I will admit that I am careful on Facebook. I do always check my security setting to make sure they are up to date and that my page is private, and only the people I approve can see my photos, status updates, or any of my friends that I have on my facebook page.
Actually one of my friends didn’t have her Facebook private so it allowed anyone to view her profile and photos, well they stole her photos off Facebook a made a fake profile with her name and her photo. They sent viruses to all the people on her friends list, so once they clicked on the link that had been sent it crashed their computer, also posted inappropriate videos. So I do understand that Facebook has its disadvantages. But I am careful and always making sure it’s updated and my privacy settings are up to date and correct.
Having said all of this, I would still state that Facebook undoubtedly is a fantastic invention, which has brought the world closer. At the same time though, we’ve never been further away from each other.
References
- Thadani, R. (2012, November 22). Pros and cons of Facebook. Retrieved from http://www. buzzle. com/articles/pros-and-cons-of-facebook.
- html Soller, K. (2007, Aug 14). Facebook; Why I love it…, Retrieved from Baker College composition: A custom approach (pg. 817) Boston Ma: Pearson learning systems
