Facebook was first launched early 2004. Now, almost seven years later, this website has over 500 million active users and is growing every single day. It started as a fun way to connect with other students in your college and has grown into a worldwide corporation, connecting people all across the globe.

            We have become so accustomed to (some may even say obsessed with) this website that it’s hard to remember what life was like before Facebook. It’s odd to think of Facebook as just a website when it plays such a huge role in our lives. The advantages and disadvantages of using Facebook have caused numerous controversies about how it is affecting our generation and students’ performance in school.

I’m sure that everyone at one point, if not more often, has logged onto Facebook when doing homework on the computer. I know I have; it’s almost an instinct for me to type out the words “Facebook.com” every time I sign onto the Internet.

No one wants to believe it, but the time we are on Facebook and not doing our homework definitely adds up. If you were to add all the minutes you were on Facebook during the week, then you could determine how much free time you really have. You could use this free time to study, or read, or do anything else at least somewhat productive.

Although we spend a noticeably unnecessary amount of time on Facebook, it does sometimes have its advantages. I know that it has definitely been a great way to keep everyone posted with sports and clubs. Also, when you need to swap notes with someone for class, or work on a group project together, there’s no easier way to do this than to make an inbox message on Facebook.

The instant messaging is a great way to talk to people as well. Instead of emailing, when it could take days to hear back from someone, we have the luxury of instant conversations with friends.

With this said, Facebook can indeed be very beneficial for the work environment, but only if it is used in the right way. It is incredibly easy to get side-tracked on Facebook with friend requests and chat messages popping up every 5 seconds, which makes it very difficult for it to be helpful with school work.

Another controversy about Facebook is whether or not it should be allowed in school. Here at Warde, it is blocked, denying students any access to the website. I’ve witnessed students getting pretty upset that they can’t go on their Facebook pages during the school day, which further proves how the site has become such an important aspect of our lives. Facebook already interferes with our schoolwork at home; it should not even be available as a distraction in school. 

            All in all, it looks as if Facebook has more disadvantages than advantages. I can’t say I’m surprised, but it’s still disappointing to think that something I spend so much time on can be so destructive to me academically. It’s hard for most of us to accept the fact that Facebook hinders our performance, but the sooner we do so, the sooner we can limit our use of it.