Article II
· MySpace and Facebook: Applying the Uses and Gratifications Theory to Exploring Friend-Networking Sites
Facebook Features and Socializing
With more than a 110 million users, Facebook is the 4th most-trafficked website in the world and the most-trafficked social media site in the world (Facebook). The use of Facebook has increased rapidly since it was first created in 2004. This worldwide friend-networking site has made a huge impact on people. From online chatting to just looking at profiles, Facebook has become very popular. In terms of generational differences, young adults spend more time using online communication and are more comfortable doing so as compared to older generations (Raacke and Bonds-Raacke 169). However, Facebook is still popular for both generations. With the many features that Facebook has, people everywhere are beginning to look into the site more and more every day.
When I first heard about Facebook, I thought it was a foolish website that had no meaning. I thought why would I want to make friends with strangers? Although it may be a good way to learn about different people, sometimes it can be dangerous because you do not know who’s behind the computer. However, there are more activities on Facebook that are interesting and fun. Many of my friends made Facebook accounts and I would always see them logging on and exploring the website. I started noticing the amount of time that they would spend on this website. It was like they added it to their daily routines. Whenever I would go to one of my friend’s house, they would be logged onto Facebook. They would either be looking at photos of their friends or even people they do not know. Also, they would be chatting with new friends they made on Facebook. I figured if my friends have fun with this website then why not make my own account?
Facebook has many features that interest others. According to the Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, Facebook features “include the Wall, a space on every user’s profile page that allows friends to post messages for the user to see, Pokes, which allows users to send a virtual “poke” to each other, Photos, where users can upload albums and photos, and Status, which allows users to inform their friends of their whereabouts and actions” (Wikipedia, par. 12). These features are the reasons why people like Facebook so much. Now that I have an account on Facebook, I think that this website will not bore you. There is so much to do. For example, this site allows users to post information about them, post pictures, leave messages for friends about upcoming events, and link their sites to friends’ sites (Raacke and Bonds-Raake 170). The main use of Facebook is to meet friends, whether they are old friends or new friends. You can search any name and you may find the person you are looking for. Many users befriend other users “even if they are precarious acquaintances or absolute strangers” (Majmudar 2005). Just the idea of making new friends will help better your social life. Also, it is fun to just look at other people’s photos online. If you have nothing to do during the day, an account on Facebook will keep you company.
Like I said before, Facebook is for both the younger and older generations. However, the younger generation is more often on Facebook than the older generation. It seems that the features that the site has interests the younger people more than the older people. Older people have more responsibilities and less time to socialize online. On the other hand, younger people have plenty of time to make friends and they make Facebook a part of their daily lives.
One day when I was on the computer at the library, a girl, around the age of 18 or 19, came and sat on the computer that was next to me. Another girl, probably the same age, sat on the computer that was on the other side of me. At first, I did not pay attention to what they were doing because I was there to study. However, I glanced at one of the computers and she was on Facebook. I looked at the other computer, and she was also on Facebook. These girls probably did not have anything to do but check their accounts. After I finished studying, I decided to go on my Facebook account. As I was sitting their searching the site, a librarian comes up to me and the girls and asks us different questions about Facebook. Now, I was new to this website so I sat there and listened to the two girls explaining it. They started talking about how it was a friend-networking site and how it has many things that you can do. As a result, the librarian asked one of us to create a Facebook account for him. I decided to leave because this was just ridiculous. People are influencing others to create accounts that are made for socializing. It made me realize how fast the use of Facebook can spread.
Furthermore, the different aspects of Facebook have an impact on human society. Socializing and searching profiles have become more and more popular. Because of the variety of activities on this site, the use of Facebook has been increasing over the years. I believe that a couple years into the future, Facebook will advance and have more features that will interest more people. The number of accounts is increasing daily, whether it’s young people or old people who are creating them. Facebook is a great way to keep in touch with old friends, as well as new friends. I have noticed that almost every person that has a computer or laptop must have a Facebook account. If they do not have one, I believe that they will create one as soon as they hear about it. Mark Zuckerberg changed the way people used the Internet by creating Facebook, and helped people socialize in a new and fun way.
Work Cited
"Facebook." 30 Oct. 2008
