Facebookers be warned; it could become a new addiction

Facebook has captured millions of souls as it opens our eyes to endless networking possibilities. However, the day I decided to join was the moment I sealed a deal with the devil.

The site has become an obsession. There’s a constant burning to check out the latest posts as I log in and my life clicks away. I’ve become addicted to it.

I can’t go a day without scrolling through at least a dozen pages. I fulfill small curiosities while creating more questions for myself that result from my friends, pictures or pieces of quotes. It has created an atmosphere for snooping.

It’s too easy to peer at things you don’t really want to know, with everyone’s business being no more than a link and blink away. All privacy is stripped by posted online profiles.

Recently, I tried to cut the site cold turkey because I was tired of the mass paranoia it created, not to mention the social grief it caused me. Some things are better left unknown.

However, the inner whispers of the group brought me back within a month.

Friends tell me Facebook is like owning a cell phone. I’ll take their word for it because I’m usually not up on this new technology. They say once you have a cell phone you can’t live without it. The same principle applies to Facebook.

It’s good for setting up arrangements, finding those people with whom you need to touch bases and reconnecting with old friends. I often wonder how journalists worked without the site because it opens a whole new avenue for quick and convenient contacts.

Still, it’s a lazy form of journalism and building connections.

There is more reward in going straight to the source of a story or talking with someone face-to-face. Ironically, Facebook can prevent people from seeing an actual face.

To the millions of folks already connected – you’re not alone. To the people still one click away from signing up, be warned. It could become an addiction.

Christy Marsters is a second-year Journalism student at Holland College, PEI.