In the past, addiction was simple. There were alcoholics, drug addicts and gambling addicts. In these days of rapid innovation, however, it seems that people can be addicted to nearly anything: food, shopping, and even plastic surgery. The worst addiction yet (yes, even worse than plastic surgery) is the Facebook addiction. The odd thing is that although countless members of my generation may be on their way to “Facebooks Anonymous,” most of us don’t even enjoy signing onto Facebook to begin with. Last week I spent four days at Princeton University’s water polo camp – a camp filled with kids from 15 to 18 from all over the country. I noticed well over half of the kids checking their Facebooks regularly on phones, iPods, and even laptops during the four days.
One kid got out of the pool, dried off, and checked his Facebook from his iPhone. Even when I was recording a video by the pool, my friend said, “this has to go on Facebook.” Nearly every teen would say that’s not the first time they’ve heard that statement, as Facebook has become a centerpiece for my generation. It’s such a vital part of our lives, and we can’t seem to live without it. Yet, many of my peers can’t believe how much time they waste on Facebook doing things that are, quite frankly, pointless.
Over the past few weeks there have been two contradictory reports released about Facebook usage. A Nielsen study revealed that Internet users spent 50 percent more time on social networking in June 2010 than they did in June 2009. Further, this survey found that users spend 23 percent of all online time on social networking sites – mainly on Facebook.
Yet, a study released by ForSee Results and American Customer Satisfaction Index gave Facebook a 64 out of 100 for customer satisfaction – right around the same rating airline companies receive.
We use Facebook nonstop, but remain unsatisfied with going onto the social networking site. With such conflicting reports, I decided to get my own data to settle (or perhaps further) this confusion. And so where else would I turn: Facebook.
My goal with this survey was simple: find out how attached teens are to Facebook and what we like and dislike about what the “object” my generation revolves around. In 24 hours, 35 of my Facebook friends (teenagers) responded. Twenty-five teens said they check their Facebooks about three times a day, while ten said they check it more than seven times a day, and these latter figures likely don’t take into account the times teens subconsciously check their Facebooks throughout the day; it’s scary how second-nature it is to check Facebook for only a quick two minutes, and those two little minutes of doing nothing can quickly turn into hours.
Even scarier is the fact that we can indulge our addiction by accessing it anywhere and anytime (with ease). Further, this addiction follows its addicts; we don’t necessarily follow it. Many teens get instant notifications sent to their phones in order to keep up with the non-stop Facebook action.
Way back when, maybe a year ago, text messages would make my friends’ Blackberries ring. Now, it’s more likely that noise is due to a new Facebook notification than a new text message. A friend of mine was recently at my house and without hesitation or any thought at all, he turned on my laptop and quickly logged onto Facebook. Add on another two minutes to his daily count. On a college visit just a few weeks ago, I stayed in Boston for only one night.
Without my computer, I nearly forced myself to go to the hotel’s business office to check my Facebook. Add on another two minutes to my daily count... Why did I drag myself on Facebook that night? Well, I’d miss my brand new notification, the obnoxious status updates, the new pictures of some girls on a beach, and really not much else. That’s what is so perplexing. Countless times it is only after we spend an hour on Facebook that we realize: what did we just look at? Nothing important.
Bring on the contradiction. From my small survey, Facebook earned a 97 percent “approval rating.” Yet, half of the survey-takers have thought about deleting their Facebook accounts due to the amount of time wasted on the social networking site. Don’t worry, I was confused with this contradiction too. That’s why I dug a little deeper and found out what teens like and dislike about Facebook, what keeps them on Facebook, and what they would miss if they deleted their accounts. One person said they would miss “stalking Adam’s pictures” while another said they would miss my “dumb surveys.” I’m flattered.
Then there were legitimate reasons for why teens like Facebook. Some of the obvious reasons were “easy interaction with friends,” “picture sharing,” and “being able to keep in contact with people overseas.” One pointed out that if he deleted his Facebook he would miss “stalking people ... not joking.” Another survey-taker said she would miss “all the love on my birthday.”
But, digging past our love for superficial wall posts and photo uploads, it seems that we like Facebook because it not only gives us something to do, but it’s also where everyone is. Jokes, events, funny pictures, and our life all stem from this social network, and without Facebook, you would feel like the kid not at the party – the person left out. Unless you like being that person, you might have to continue to “like” Facebook for as long as it’s the centerpiece of the current teen generation. The final upside of Facebook came with a catch. Many teenagers say Facebook gives them something to do. However, this said “time killer” truly becomes a killer of teenagers’ time, which leads to the downsides of Facebook.
As for what teens disliked about Facebook, well, at least our generation of Facebook addicts isn’t in denial. One teen said he “hates how much time he wastes on Facebook.” Another response pointed out all the positive points of Facebook, but then retreated and said “time and time again Facebook proves to be a very distracting and addicting factor in my life.”
Another scary response stated that “without Facebook my GPA would be substantially higher.” (I bet 99 percent of teens would admit to that.) More unique dislikes of Facebook pointed to the layout changing constantly, all the ads, and the privacy settings.
Sure, those are the frequent complaints about Facebook, but what is it that causes 50 percent of survey-takers to think about deleting their Facebooks while these same people are completely satisfied with Facebook? There is an evident gap between wanting to be on Facebook and having to be on Facebook just to keep up. As I walked to the business office in my hotel in Boston I was frustrated that I had that urge to check my Facebook. What is so important on Facebook? Nothing I couldn’t wait another day for. Nevertheless, I checked my Facebook and effectively wasted five minutes of my life – and that was just a quick Facebook check.
This is just a metaphor for our generation’s addiction. Facebook followed me to Boston, and I gave in, just as so many teens give in and check Facebook seven-plus times a day. I didn’t want to check Facebook, nor did I need to, but I did because I needed to keep up (or perhaps, had nothing else to do).
I would not be surprised if these complaints of Facebook overuse came from the same kids who were checking their Facebooks as they came out of the pool. Nor would I be surprised if one came from my friend who checked his Facebook subconsciously at my house.
I’m complaining about using Facebook too much, but meanwhile I had the urge to check it at midnight in Boston when I could have checked it the next day at home. Facebook seems to rely on a certain cycle. We are emotionally invested in this website, and we teens fuel the beast by saying “this has to go on Facebook,” and subsequently check our Facebooks anxiously awaiting a certain picture or video’s upload.
Why we continue to fuel the beast is it’s our culture and it’s simply “social capital.” The belief that you may miss something or “fall behind” is widespread, but unnecessary because really, there isn’t much to miss. But perhaps the closest explanation comes from this response: “Facebook is distracting and is sometimes dangerous ... I can’t live without it.” I’ll see this guy in F.A. (Facebooks Anonymous).
- Adam Garnick
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