by Leandra Sebastien

Created on: July 10, 2009   Last Updated: July 16, 2009

Needless to say, I started this article since this morning. And it is now 3:30pm and I've only now finished doing the research and reading up on reports having to do with Facebook. What took me so long? I had to check my facebook profile at least ten times already. Terrible. I know! What is meant to take less than two minutes to check what someone's written on my wall and to update my facebook status, ended up being time spent browsing through a couple of my friends photo albums, my cousin's ex-boyfriend's wedding photos and when I read about certain privacy issues with facebook, I had to go check my security and privacy settings on my facebook profile, of course.

Okay, so what is Facebook?

Facebook is a free-access social networking website developed by sophomore Mark Zuckerberg of Harvard University in 2004 and two other colleagues, open to anyone with a valid email address, and offers its members options of joining the millions of networks of people with similar interests.

What can you do on facebook?

Facebook users do a lot on their facebook page such as:

1) Keep in touch with friends and family all over the world.

2) Join networks based on just about anything such as the city you are from, your hobbies, passion for a cause etc.

3) Add friends and send them messages, write on their walls etc.

4) Update your personal user profile to notify friends about you.

5) Chat with other friends using facebook chat.

6) Play games such as Poker and Bejewelled.

7) Upload pictures and comment on your friends pictures.

8) Be a part of many applications ETC.

So what are the negatives of facebook?

1) Facebook is addictive and time consuming

Okay, so it's not like being addicted to alchol or smoking, but it is a modern addition that has reached the young and old alike all over the world. There are even websites that offer information on 'Facebook Addiction Disorder," all aimed at trying to help you find out if are you suffering from Facebook Addiction Disorder (FAD), by asking questions such as: How often do you find that you stay on facebook longer than you intended? How often do you neglect household chores to spend more time on Facebook? How oftend do you check your email before something else that you need to do?

The negatives associated with facebook addiction include: a lot of time spent online instead of doing other meaningful activities you might have planned; less time spent on actual verbal and social interaction via person to person contact;

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