I’m Torn: Facebook Edition

[Life isn’t black and white. As much as we wish we simply loved or hated things, there is often that whole annoying gray area in the middle. Like, we hate how Walmart treats its employees…but we love the low prices! Or, we love how that boy makes us laugh….but we hate that he has no motivation in life. Damn you, gray area; you make decision-making that much more complicated!

There are so many difficult choices in life (do we love or hate high heels??), so we thought we’d sort through ‘em right here. Every week we will discuss another issue we are torn up about. Let us know your thoughts in the comments section!]

Ohh FB. I really do hate how much I love you.

Love: Clearly, Facebook serves its purpose as a social networking site. It’s great for ‘friending’ (and poking!) that cute guy you see around campus but don’t actually know, checking up on your friends from high school and leaving them funny video posts on their walls, and helping you to remember your lab partner’s birthday. Facebook makes it extremely easy to communicate with people without actually talking to anyone or putting in any real effort.

I also love Facebook’s “Events” section. Where else can find out about and get directions to parties AND know the guest list beforehand so you can determine whether or not you want to go? It’s pretty amazing. Best of all, however, has to be the new Facebook phonebook. With one click, you can see the numbers of all of your friends (who have added them!) and, if you have Facebook Mobile, even add them to your address book or call them from your cell. It’s genius. And it makes the whole awkward “can I have your number?” conversation obsolete!

Loathe: No matter how hard I try, a five minute “study break” on Facebook always turns out to be more of a two hour stalk-fest. It’s horrible. I start looking at pictures, reading notes, and laughing at status updates and, before I know it, 45 minutes have elapsed and none of my biology lab report has been written.

As we all know, Facebook makes you a creeper. Do you really NEED to be looking at pictures of your boyfriend’s ex girlfriend and getting jealous? Or what about that skank in your calculus class? Apparently yes, because I can’t seem to stop. And it’s not healthy. I mean, how creepy is it that you know a the interests, activities, and favorite quotations of some hot guy that you’ve never talked to? …Awkward.

On top of that, good old FBook can get pretty annoying with their constant notifications for EVERYTHING. Application invite? Want to join my group? Be a part of my cause?! Probably not, but I know that I’m going to be emailed about it. A bajillion times.

The worst thing (yes, even worse than all those stupid applications) though, is that everyone has a Facebook profile now. No longer reserved specifically for college students, now your boss, dentist, middle school choir teacher, and, scariest of all, even your parents can view your profile and the pictures you took at last weekend’s parties. Time to up those privacy settings!

In the end, though, no matter how creepy or unproductive my excessive Facebook use makes me, I know that I’ll never be able to pull myself away from it. I’m that addicted. And let’s be honest, despite it’s major issues, Facebook rocks. And I’m a junkie.