No Facebook, No Life!

“Tag me in the photos ya!” “It’s time for me to plant vege.” “I have to manage my Café.” Do these conversations sound familiar? I believe it does, as most of us are on Facebook and connected to half the world through it.

I’m guilty of “Tag me in the photos ya!” Facebook is a convenient tool to enable me to take photos from friends invisibly. Just a click on the “Tag this photo” and I can view all my photos on my profile page in a matter of seconds. Sharing photos, memories and feelings with friends, mean a lot to us teenagers today.

It’s the ‘place’ to express both pessimistic and optimistic emotions. Just post a shout on your wall and wait. Friends from four corners of the world will comment on your status either with advice or comforting words and this sometimes works when you’re feeling down. It’s just the understanding that makes it so compassionate. But be careful what you ‘say’ as other people can read your entries and you might offend someone that the post was not intended for.

Facebook also has many features like games, quizzes and videos. I’m not a fan but sometimes its fun to see the results posted by friends for the love related quizzes like, “Who is your lover of the day?” “Who is your future husband or wife?” “How many boyfriends or girlfriends will you have in the future?” Although we know the results are inaccurate but when the results pick the right person from your list of friends, it could be humorous.

Besides being an entertainment tool, there is also the downside of this widely used domain. Many people also Twit and link both accounts together. There is always the fear of being hacked and random Facebook contacts will be opened to getting poisonous links. Or worst if you see an unfamiliar embarrassing video on your account posted by the hacker!

One of the other pitfalls is time consuming. People get so engrossed in Facebook that they ‘forget’ the rest. Some companies have banned Facebook at the work place because of this sole reason. I have to admit that I log on to Facebook day and night, before I go to bed and after I wake up to keep myself updated with friends’ status and posts.

Facebook has become a part of my life. I can’t imagine how dull and empty life would be without it. Honestly, I can’t even remember what my life was like before it emerged and took over. It has become the cure for my stress, an invisible place for me to shout out and gain comfort when I am up or down and a bridge to maintain friendships with friends all over the world.

At the pace it’s developing and emerging, it strips the ability for lawmakers, the government and even parents to keep up which is also a double edged sword. What is more important is that we do it responsibly. There are always consequences no matter good or bad and no matter how ‘free’ this sphere is; the human element is still the weakest link.