Journal #4: Why am I addicted to Facebook?

I've had a facebook for a pretty long time. My earliest wall post came October of 2005. I remember when you could only have one profile picture; when there was no such thing as a "status"; when it really got popular; when they changed the layout the first time; when they changed the layout again. Facebook and I have been through a lot. To me, facebook is an extension of myself. It is, after all, a digital representation of who I am. One thing that drives me crazy about facebook however, is that I can’t seem to stay off it. I’ve been sitting here in the library for about an hour now, and I must have checked my facebook at least five times, always hoping for a little red notification flag to be sticking up. Nothing seems to change, yet I instinctively refresh the page just to make sure. I just can’t seem to stay away.
My friend recently gave up facebook for lent. I really don’t know how she did it. Checking my facebook is the first thing I do in the morning, the first thing I do when I get back from class, and the last thing I do before going to bed. It has become a routine part of my life. Last semester, I did a little bit of research about internet addiction and discovered that there are some psychological reasons for it. When we do log in and find a wall post or photo comment awaiting us, it is like a reward. We become like Pavlov’s dogs: we see a computer and we hope that there is a prize inside.
So is being addicted to facebook harmful? Well, I haven’t died yet. I think it is only harmful if you let it become more important than face-to-face relationships or let it completely take priority over your schoolwork. Facebook does have it’s advantages; you can keep up with friends from high school or stay up on the latest trends. I don’t think there is a cure for facebook addiction. The only thing that might put an end to this pandemic would be the creation of something better. This generation seems to be very reliant on the internet; it is how we find others to date, buy things, diagnose ourselves with illnesses, obtain our news, and keep in contact with those far away. I think it is ok to be addicted to the internet, considering it has been integrated into nearly every aspect of life.