Facebook Vs. Father Time

By: Josh Grimes

Facebook has become a social necessity for the new aged college student.



               

Facebook has taken our generation, country and globe by storm captivating the hours citizens; Americans in particular spend on the computer using the social networking media. Questioning if tagging friends, poking, messaging, liking comments, chatting as well as farming your crops, cooking a hamburger or most recently being able to create your University is healthy for our social lifestyle. Nelson media states that people spent an average of 55 minutes on Facebook a day which averages around to 30 hours a month. This seems to be on the low end of the Facebook usage spectrum as college students at Avila stated they would estimate well over an hour each day on the booming social media gateway. Facebook has changed our lives in ways of communicating as well as a way to spend money along with target market advertising. As Facebook opens many passages as easy to use software makes it come to students and users as almost second nature to continue to update and check their “news feeds” every hour and sometimes even every minute. By interviewing Avila student Matt Birk Facebook use came in a different light through a few questions.

Matt Birk an Avila junior lets us in on some of his Facebook habits.

Talon: “How many hours a week are you on Facebook?”

Matt: “Give or take a few hours a day so I suppose like 25 hours a week.”

Talon: “What do you use Facebook’s social network for?”

Matt: “I use it to keep in touch with friends, family and share online media and I play a few of the interactive Facebook games like College Town.”

Talon: “Have you ever spent money of a Facebook credit account to play games such as Farmville?

Matt: “No spending money on things you can play for free is a lost cause I don’t understand the logic of the people that do, they are just online games?”

Talon: “ Does Facebook seem to be a necessity to the current college student?”

Matt: “Facebook now has so many capabilities that it seems like there really is no downside in using them for what they are for. Facebook is a social tool students use to maintain their social life online among all the chaos of college life. It makes time for people to stay in touch among all the homework, jobs people work and extracurricular activities. Now people don’t even have to call each other or meet up to stay connected.

Talon: “What would you be doing during the time you are on Facebook if you were not such an avid user?”

Matt: “Usually it doesn’t interfere with homework or anything I do that is important, I usually only do it in my spare time when i am not at soccer practice or in class, so maybe watching T.V. or playing video games.” 

As many students such as Matt are able to use Facebook in a positive proactive way to stay connected with peers, many others allow it to consume their daily routine accessing it from their phone as well as local, private and residential computers. Will Facebook eventually carry more value than a social piece to the puzzle? What will they come up with next?