Have you ever thought about the amount of time you spend on Facebook? Or if you don’t have a profile, the amount of time other people spend on Facebook?
Seriously, take a moment to think about how much time and energy people put into the site. Updating statuses, uploading pictures from the party last night, posting messages and all the rest takes up a lot of time.
I knew Facebook was popular, but I was still pretty shocked when I read MSNBC’s statistics about Facebook. Would you have guessed we are obsessed to the point that 48% of those between the ages of 18-34 check their Facebook first thing in the morning, and 28% access the site on their smart phones before even getting out of bed?
What’s on Facebook that so urgently requires checking? Checking up on events, responding to posts, and commenting on the new photos put up really doesn’t take that long, and it definitely doesn’t need to be done at the first waking moment of the day.
After all of the above has been accomplished, there’s not much left to do except to stalk people, which can lead to gossip and drama, and often results in division among friends. It’s definitely happened, if not to you, then to someone you know.
It’s unfortunate that this is the case, though. Facebook, being a social network with 500 million active users, is a tool that allows people to easily keep up with their family and friends.
But the tool is being abused and used way more often than necessary. Facebook has become such a popular mode of communication that 57% of people talk to others more online than in real life! If that’s not sad, I don’t know what is.
Honestly, if we even spent half as much time on a different activity as we do on Facebook, then we could definitely accomplish something. Whether it’s cleaning the apartment, catching up or getting ahead on homework, working out, or even leisure time, there are definitely other areas in life that could stand to have more time put into them.
As a New York Times article regarding Facebook obsession said, “Recognize the huge distraction Facebook presents – the hours it consumes every day, to say nothing of the toll it takes during finals and college applications…”
In a WikiHow article on quitting Facebook, the first step is: “Admit you might have an addiction to Facebook and keep track of what you actually do on Facebook. After every Facebook session, ask yourself: ‘What did I just accomplish by checking Facebook?’… Recording your Facebook activities can help you realize how much time you actually spend getting nothing constructive done.”
The suggestion here is not that Facebook should be eliminated from our lives, but just that there should be awareness of the time wasted on Facebook. In five years, will it really make a difference that you were the first to comment on a post, or the first to post a video? Probably not. Consider this a challenge to look at your use of Facebook in the bigger picture. Tag, you’re it!
