The Pros and Cons of Facebook

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“I carried you for nine months. I fed you, I clothed you, I paid for your college education. Friending me on Facebook seems like a small thing to ask in return.”

― Jodi Picoult

Since its launch in 2004, Facebook has continued to grow at an incredible rate, connecting millions of people across the world. It is easily the most used social networking site out there, with about 50% of the one billion users logging in daily. But you already knew all that…for most of us, Facebook is anything but new. On top of that, managing some kind of social profile isn’t new either. But when taking a step back, sometimes I scratch my head and wonder, “Why bother with Facebook?”

I figure we might as well start with some reasons why people do use Facebook

Everybody’s here – Facebook’s user-base is an incredible resource. For example, when getting ready to come to Syracuse University during the summer before freshman year, it was no surprise that I had many questions about life at SU, how the move-in process would work, when schedules would be released, etc.Because of Facebook, I got answers from current staff and students, as well as connected with students who were feeling the same anxiety that I was. This is just my example, but I’m sure that you could think of one on your own.

Communication made easy – Every time I think about the “Groups” function of Facebook, I say a little thank you to Mark Zuckerberg. I use groups on a daily basis for a variety of reasons: Organizing a pick-up game of soccer, communicating with colleagues, or just having a separate space within Facebook to communicate with certain people.

Photos – Ah, yes. The beginning and the end of Facebook will always be photos. It’s one of the main attractions of...

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...rvice, it boggles my mind that their mobile apps are so amateur. The mobile market is booming right now, and if Facebook continues at their current pace, they will certainly be run over by new and emerging start-ups.

“FOMO” – The New York Times released an article in April, 2011, which I encourage you to read. FOMO stands for the “fear of missing out”, which commonly occurs when seeing status updates and photos posted by our friends. We then question the event, wondering “Why wasn’t I there?” or “How come I didn’t even know this was happening?” Sometimes it’s not a specific event that throws us off, but just scrolling through a friend’s profile and noticing how much “better” his or her life appears. Facebook assists in negative social comparison and FOMO, instilling a sense of regret and can weigh heavy on one’s self-esteem.

So what are your feelings on Facebook?

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