Why Facebook is so Addicting
Why Facebook is so Addicting
By Marion Albers
Champlain Valley Union High School, Grade 9
The whirring, the nagging, the whining start right up as I sit down to write my paper. It continues through my first paragraph, the second, the third. The space in my head that’s trying to make itself bigger, is clearly telling me a message that I try to avoid. Concentrate, Marion, concentrate. I know if I start to lose focus, all my time spent here tonight, typing away furiously at the computer, will be at a loss. Finally, after longer than it should have taken, the paper is finished. I read over it, grimacing. It definitely wasn’t my best work, that’s for sure. I repeat myself over and over, making the same points in several different paragraphs.
I sigh and open a new browser. The whining slows down, the whirring purrs to a stop as I click on the short-cut link. After all this time, I’m finally ready to check my Facebook page.
Facebook is the center of social connections; a place for friends, relatives, acquaintances and classmates to unite and share something in common. As addictive as it is, it’s also nice to keep in contact with people you don’t see that often, or to make plans with friends. My main use of it, though, is to check up on what other people are doing. Once I know I’m not the only one spending a Saturday night alone watching movies, I’m comforted, knowing I’m not missing out on some huge party.
I’d say the biggest chunk of my time spent on Facebook is devoted to looking through pictures. I moved from Arlington, Virginia to Vermont a few years ago, and I rely on Facebook to keep in contact with my few remaining friends down there. After looking through a friend’s pictures you can see what they’ve been up to; the parties they’ve had, the friends they hang out with, whether or not they spend too much time on the computer. The attraction of these pictures could be gossip or to comment on, but photo- comment- conversations are extremely annoying to get notifications for.
I couldn’t imagine living without Facebook now that I have it. It takes up a lot of time if you get into it, and that could potentially be a big problem. But I love checking in with friends through an online service that’s free and more personal than a text or, sometimes, a phone call. It’s the lure of going back to that familiar page, the excitement of a new friend request, or notification, that always keeps me coming back for more.