Facebook - Why Such a Fuss?

Facebook—you know it, don’t you? You have seen your son or daughter hang around it for hours (or made an account for yourself). Recently, I went through a list of articles in The New York Times and found about 200 articles related to Facebook alone! Not surprising, is it? Most of the articles were antagonistic and a few others were describing how we can use Facebook to upload pictures and make innovative groups and so on and so forth. So, why are we making so much fuss about Facebook? After all, it’s just the usual social networking tool, isn’t it? Why are people paying special attention to this one site? In the past few months, I have come across many write ups/articles and talked to many Facebook fanatics to find the reasons for its success and why people are making such a fuss. Why do we love or hate Facebook? Here are a few answers:

A medical student from Thailand:
“I love Facebook because it’s the only form of entertainment in the boring world of medicine, plus it keeps me connected to my friends.”

A debater from San Francisco says:
“Facebook connects me to people around the world. I get to develop bonds with people I admire, who I believe to be my role models like the debate gurus, my seniors in college, scholars, and different celebrities. Facebook is the new face of youths and I like seeing my reflection in it.”

A literature teacher from Iran thinks:
“Facebook is a forum where people from all backgrounds can meet. With it there is a no longer geographical boundaries. It gives a great opportunity for people to know each other and to make them known to other.”

People around the world with different religion, race, color, creed, gender and occupation use Facebook, and they use it to stay connected. In this fast paced world, staying connected with your loved ones by phone or letters is not possible anymore. You may well think that e-mail could be useful but as this friend of mine says, Facebook is more user-friendly.

“Living away from my friends and moving around a lot, Facebook is the only close-to-real form of communication between me and my friends from different places around the world. E-mail is not as user-friendly as Facebook and it’s absolutely impossible to be on MSN at the same time when you’re halfway across the world from each other. Besides that Facebook is the best thing that happened to the world since sliced bread. It’s literally a life-saver and essentially a part of the very core of our existence!”

Now let’s talk about the ‘fusses’. Who makes it? Is it the users or those few people who couldn’t fit in to this new cyber world? Young people certainly don’t go barracking around about Facebook—it’s the few people with preconceived notion who think it is ‘rubbish’. And, why do they think that way? The answer is they may not have been able to adjust to or keep up with the fast pace of the cyber world. My father (who made an account for himself after my consistent persistence) is now able to connect with his friends from college or colleagues from his previous jobs. He was against it when I make an account myself, and today he himself spends about two hours interacting with his friends and writing on their walls!

Finally, Facebook is an interactive website where you can meet new people, make new friends and share your feelings without having to talk to them face-to-face. It has many facilities that we don’t find in any other sites (I am not advertising; I am not paid for that!). The Notes section is a new form of blog where you can write out your feelings. You can make groups for your school, college or even office. In this way, you can always stay connected with colleagues. You can use the photos to upload all the latest pictures so that relatives from around the world can see you even if you aren’t there with them.

So, I don’t see a reason for people to accuse Facebook. If you do misuse it then it’s your own fault. Next time you see your son or daughter hanging around Facebook for hours, think about thousands of others who are using Facebook for the good. Remember, there are top-class students who go to MIT or Harvard who use Facebook. Next time you hear a person saying ‘Facebook is destroying my child’s life’, adduce them with the reasons I have given you (their children may be a good student and at the same time use Facebook!). But, be alert that one should not use it intermittently for 24 hours! Warning: Do not lose your face while using Facebook! (If you lose your face, what remains is just the book!) And, that’s my noble advice.

- Photography by Shreyans Tamang, Creative Director, V.E.N.T! Magazine