Facebook Stalking Addiction by Andrew W. Leonard - Computer Collection of Essays from Scholarship 2006 -Best Computer Online Store Houston Buy Discount Prices Texas-Directron.com

Andrew W. Leonard

Facebook Stalking Addiction
-By Andrew W. Leonard

In the day of the technoculture, we've found more and more ways to reduce our interpersonal relationships from walks in the park down to virtual "smilies" and "lol's" on instant messenger. Instead of meeting someone the old-fashioned way of the 1980's, staring them eye to eye over coffee genuinely and getting to know their personalities, many of us have turned in to cyber-stalkers. Cyber stalkers, you say? Indeed!

Think about Facebook, one of the largest social networking websites on the internet. Used primarily by college students, it is a place where students congregate to map out their social lives. People link up with old buddies from high school, pledge their love for TV shows, and make clear their distaste for people who excessively raise their hands during lecture. Over the last few years Facebook has been in existence, much more functionality has been added, but these are just distractions from its real purpose: to aid you in virtually stalking your classmates.

Undoubtedly, if you are one of the smaller number of college students who don't have an account there, people will start to doubt your actual existence as a living and breathing human being. "Everyone" has an account there, right? Not so fast� Many people have accounts, but some people are truly objected to the idea of cyber-stalking, or "social networking" as it is affectionately called. Some people simply don't care about Facebook.

However, just ask your roommate or buddy, and they will be quick to deny that Facebook is used for anything more than networking current friends and getting lecture notes from someone in a class you missed. This is far from the truth when you consider that most account holders default to using Facebook on their downtime or when bored during lecture. They've got to be doing more than chatting with the same high school buddy!

It seems like a double standard to me - if Facebook is "just" used for contacting a classmate for homework and strengthening "existing" social bonds, then why does everyone who has an account feel compelled to list their favorite hobbies while using it? I must make a confession that I myself am guilty of this deplorable crime, listing my favorite movies, hobbies, books, and music, and occasionally instant messaging someone of the opposite sex who shares an interest or two. I've even caught a buddy or three in the act as well. Admittedly, it is somewhat redeeming when you find someone who is into the same quirky things you are into.

You truly know it has become popular culture when it has turned into a verb and "facebooking someone" means looking them up and possibly adding them as a contact. You can't deny that people are putting themselves out with flailing arms when they list their life's history on their profiles. I may not go as far to list my campus address and two phone numbers, but some people actually do this. One phone number is considered proper.

Let's face it (no pun intended), it's kind of strange when you go to contact someone you met on Facebook. You strike up a conversation on AIM, using their contact info you found on their profile. You decide whether or not to skirt the fact that you found their screen name in their information. If you are a truly brave soul, you'll send them the link to your profile and reveal yourself right then and there.

Yes, it's been raining in Davis for the last four months, and yes, campus does really smell like cows in the late afternoon. Uh oh, time to find something else witty to say. But, what else is there to talk about?

Asking your new acquaintance "hey, what kind of music do you listen to?" is a futile attempt at conversation when you already know that they like Alanis Morissette and hate hip hop. The same goes for asking about any other piece of information that's already in their profile. It's pathetic, and it shows, unless you're the type of person that can play it off as if you got their info from a friend; in which case, I urge you to get off of your computer and go find someone in person using your �ber-cool social skills. After all, you're slick, right? Or maybe just sick�.

There is definitely something exciting to be had from the air of mystery of talking to someone who doesn't have a picture listed in their profile. And I'm only half-kidding. Despite the convenience of Facebook, it is even more exciting to contact someone who flat out doesn't have an account. You mean, actually meet them in person or call them up? It may be a bit more daunting of a task to approach a person in the flesh and talk to them, but in the end, it makes the relationship that much more genuine and improvisational. With the advent of online dating services, how inclined are you to tell your friends you met your significant other on Facebook? It sounds a lot cooler if you met them someplace real, like a coffee shop or from a class. Exchanging data over copper and fiber optic cables just isn't that sexy.

Of course, it's tempting to ask the person whether or not they have a FaceBook account, so you can add them as a friend. If they've never heard of it, the typical reaction to this is an astonishing "you don't know what Facebook is?!" as if it were some sort of Deity that every student must worship. "You must be living in the dark ages!" The resounding truth is that these people are no different than the masses that have accounts. It doesn't mean that they're poor and don't own a computer, it doesn't mean that they don't know how to touch-type, and it certainly doesn't mean that they're 500 years old and stubborn with new technology. They simply don't have an account.

I am proud to say that I will approach someone I find interesting. Even if that person sits across the classroom from me, I'll take the time before or after class to say hi and introduce myself. How do you think our parents and our parents' parents did it? Just in case you were born with a computer keyboard fused to your arm, computers haven't been around all that long; our ancestors have had to overcome their social phobias for eons, so why shouldn't we?

Withdrawal can be hard. Step one to overcoming your Facebook addition is to remove yourself from the keyboard cold-turkey. It only has to be for a few days. Don't use the computer unless you're going to type a scholarly document. You may miss it for the first day or so, and your fingers might try to click on your Facebook bookmark, but don't let that phase you.

The second step to recovering from Facebook addition is to say hi to at least 2 people in each class, per day. Even if you hadn't noticed them before, do it! It will boost their self-esteem and will certainly boost yours. It may sound hard, but the anticipation is the only thing that can hurt you.

The third step to recovering from Facebook addition is logging in to facebook to see how many messages you have accumulated. The game here is to trick yourself into thinking that they don't matter. In fact, once you've done that, applaud yourself, because it's the truth. If someone wants to get ahold of you, they will call you because your phone number is listed on your profile, right?

The next step should hopefully come on its own after you have completed the first three steps � it is the realization that Facebook is only a crutch for real social interaction. Once you reach this level of realization, you may be tempted to convert your friends back to the aforementioned archaic methods of social interaction.

If you learned nothing at all, keep this in mind: if you are the recipient of a random message from a person who facebooked you, you can't say you didn't have it coming. Get up from your desk and go meet up for coffee!

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