BY WHITNEY SOUTH
As part of most people’s daily routine, Facebook has brought us everything from farm games to the ability to connect with friends long forgotten. But for some, the social media site is taking up more time than necessary. Constant usage is distracting many from what’s really important, the ability to interact with real people.
Chances are, like me, you have a Facebook account. But have you ever sat down and taken a hard look at who your friends are?
Personally, I try to keep my friends list to people I actually know or contacts I may want to maintain in the future. But for most, the ability to draw the line as far as letting people into their online life is something of a trial.
According to an article published in the Huffington Post, 24 per cent of users don’t maintain any sort of security when it comes to their posts or online activities.
Welcoming a plethora of creepers and trolls into your account can cause more harm than good it’s true, but is security really that important when you hand out “adds” like candy at Halloween?
Why do we feel the need to add anyone and everyone we’ve ever met to Facebook? Maybe it’s the longing to feel popular, stemming from years in high school where having a vast amount of friends defined social status.
Or maybe it’s because, in this world full of technology and electronic communication, feeling one small ounce of personal connection helps us to fight the feeling we are all truly alone.
I can’t count the number of times I’ve had a “friend” obliviously walk by in a grocery store or on the street, only to receive a message hours later letting me know how nice it was to see me.
Recently, I attended an event at a local pub. I knew some friends I hadn’t seen in over a decade would be there and was excited to have some face-to-face interaction. Inspired by some great chats and debates online, I headed out for the night expecting a great time and some inspired conversation. Instead, our meeting was limited to a few quick greetings, marred by the fact my presence didn’t seem to warrant even a glance up from what must’ve been a very tasty cheeseburger.
The lack of ability to communicate in real life was staggering.
The number of monthly Facebook users around the world has climbed to over 850 million since its launch in 2004. With Canadians making up over 18 million of those users, 54 per cent of the country is logging on.
What society has to remember is that, despite the ease of online friendships, it’s quality not quantity that really matters.
FACEBOOK FACTS
1.Barack Obama’s victory Facebook post was the most liked photo on Facebook with over four million likes.
2.The average Facebook user has 130 friends.
3.More than 250 million photos are uploaded to Facebook every day.
4.As of 2012, 210,000 years of music have been played on Facebook.
5.Zygna’s games revenue was 12 per cent of Facebook’s total income.
Source: Huffington Post
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