MTSU Sidelines

Issue date: 6/18/08 Section: Opinions

Media Credit: Michael Stone Features Editor Josh McArthur, a senior in MTSU's M.B.A. Program, takes a break from studying to check his Facebook. The networking site has become very popular, almost addictive, to college students.

Media Credit: Michael Stone Students in the James E. Walker Library log into their Facebook pages.

Everyone has been there. You get home and tell yourself you will get online for a minute, then start on the unbelievably large "to-do" list you have for the day. Of course, that single minute turns into an hour. And that hour turns into four hours. Before you know it, you're looking at your clock wondering how in the world it got this late and you end up putting off your "to-do" list for tomorrow - again.

What kept you glued to the computer all afternoon? Facebook. You stare at the endless number of pictures, wall posts and bumper stickers until you can't think of anything else to explore for the day. It seems to have become somewhat of an addiction and part of daily routine: checking e-mail, explore different news stories, looking at the weather and Facebook.

"I check it every day of my life," says Bo Winters, junior, nursing major.

And who doesn't?

College students seem to be particularly captivated by Facebook because it is an easy way to keep in touch with old high school friends, as well as new friends.

MTSU is no exception to this growing obsession. With 25,874 students, future students and alumni associated with the MTSU network on Facebook, it is a miracle students ever get any schoolwork done.

If you are an active Facebook user, you probably have sat at a computer - the worst place to attempt homework, thanks to the enticement of Facebook being one click away - and started writing a paper. It doesn't take long for you to give into Facebook's temptation and once you do, your entire academic career just starts going downhill. Well, maybe not your entire academic career, but honestly, you know you're not going to finish that paper now.

How is it that this Web site has the power to intrigue us for hours every day?

The main reason people stay on Facebook is because there are so many different things that you are able to do and explore. With the endless number of applications, friends all over the world you can chat with and millions of photos you can browse, it's a wonder people ever get off it.

Kyla Holder, a sophomore, interior design major, admits she gets on Facebook at least three times a day. She says the main reason she logs on to Facebook is "because it is a way to keep in touch with people and stay updated on events - and it is easy."

Most students would agree with Kyla that Facebook has grown so addictive because it is a convenient way to keep informed and updated on your friends' lives and different events going on.

One contributor to Facebook's rapid success could be the use of it in our society. The mention of Facebook is in songs, commercials, TV series, magazines and even on t-shirts. Facebook is everywhere, which makes it hard to ignore.

Even in our everyday language, we have turned Facebook into a verb. When you meet someone, they don't give you their number and tell you to call them. Instead they give you their name and tell you to "Facebook" them. When you call up a friend and ask what they are doing, you might get a response like "I am 'Facebooking' on Facebook."

We are now in a world revolving around Facebook. We use it to find out everything dealing with our social world. We know what our friends do every weekend, which events they have attended recently, their relationships - or lack thereof, who they hang out with, how they are feeling each day and of birthdays we might otherwise had forgotten.

Without Facebook, it seems like we would be lost.

There are 80-plus million Facebook users, half of which are college students. Being away from home and our friends, we rely on Facebook to save old friendships and create new ones. Facebook has grown, especially on college campuses, and our generation has become addicted to Facebook's easy communication, photo sharing, virtual gifts, bumper stickers, marketplaces, sports updates, Facebook chat and event notifications. But the concept of having your entire social life on one Web site forces you to ask one simple question - who wouldn't get addicted?

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