ifbmagesFacebook has over a billion users, so I’m sure when you meet someone who isn’t on facebook you can’t help but wonder why!  How could they not be part of social media?  Don’t they have any friends?  How do they know what’s going on?  Maybe they have a boring life and don’t want anyone to know.

If you are 25 years old, you were 13 when Facebook entered the world of social media, so literally ½ your life has probably been on Facebook. Statistics show that most teens sleep with their phone under their pillow so they won’t miss any newsfeeds, texts, messaging or whatever else their friends are sharing. Studies show that this leads to sleep deprivation; definitely not conducive for being awake and aware in school.

Facebook users have been programmed to expect a response to their messages. If they don’t give or get a response quickly they might just lose some followers/friends.

This could be the reason why they are always in position:  Head down looking at their phone sitting on their extended hand.

Have you noticed that phones are part of the restaurant experience.  8 out of 10 diners will have their phone on the table ready for action. The phone seems to be more important than the people they are with and the food they order.

Having a lot of friends on Facebook is a status symbol but a downside is that the more friends you have, the more time you have to spend on keeping up with all their posts. It’s a full time job for some.

Posting degrading comments about peers seems to be common way of retaliating. It’s so simple to take a quick picture of someone in a compromising position and post it for all their friends to see. Social media has become a tool for bullying and ridiculing peers without responsibility, until they get caught, of course.

Billions of people communicate almost exclusively through facebook or texting.  The written word will be a thing of the past. Many states do not require schools to teach cursive reading or writing anymore. Do you wonder why people don’t know how to talk on the phone anymore? Or spell?

I would say blatantly that this young generation has an addiction. No! I would also say that most people on Facebook are addicted, no matter what the age.

If you don’t agree, then I challenge you to get off Facebook for one month. At the end of the month, write a few words in a blog about the pros and cons of this action and how it affected your life. I will post it, with your permission, on Designers Circle. 

Will you take the challenge?

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