I never thought this day would come…that my oldest son would take the Facebook plunge. But he did it. It wasn’t until he joined the ranks that I truly realized how addicting it can be.
I know this might sound pretty trivial. Big deal, so your teenager finally joined Facebook…they do it every day. But you would have to know my son to realize how out of character this is.
He has always protested when I encouraged him to join in. Honestly, the only reason I did that is because I so enjoy the connection it affords between me and many others who attend my church. I would say that 90% of my Facebook friends are fellow church-goers. So for me this is a fairly safe environment for my family.
I don’t know what came over him but as soon as he got started setting up his profile, putting in his interests and beginning the process of adding to his friend’s list I couldn’t get him off the computer. He laughed and said, “See, I never should have joined. I can see why it’s addicting.”
Every time someone confirmed him as a friend, he had to tell me. Now of course this is really no big deal to me but for him it is a whole new world. And he couldn’t believe that every single friend request (nearing 100) was answered within 24 hours.
I explained to him that people are ALWAYS on Facebook, even if they declare they aren’t. It really can be addicting.
So it got me thinking about why that is. I honestly believe we just enjoy taking a peek into other people’s lives. It’s almost like a reality show has come to Facebook, depending on the person (some people are more like open books).
I personally enjoy hearing about the small stuff, even though others might consider it a waste. But I also love the opportunity to pray for those who are going through difficulties and to celebrate with those who have experienced something wonderful in their life.
And of course, it is also an opportunity for me to do a little spying on my oldest son now…what he doesn’t know won’t hurt him.
Related Articles:
Facebook: Invasion of Privacy?
The Good and the Bad of Social Networking
Using Facebook to Break Down the Barrier
My Love-Hate Relationship with Facebook
Photo by float in stock.xchng