I don't care what anyone says. I love Facebook.
When I first created my FB account, the site was intended for a growing network of university students who wanted to a) keep in touch with their high school friends, and b) show off how cool they were by posting pictures of themselves getting hammered at spring break. Of course, now FB is massive and worldwide, with all the benefits and consequences that go along with it. You know things have changed when your grandparents are tagging pictures of you flinging your feces around like a monkey circa 1984.
Yet the appeal of FB hasn't changed. We still want to connect with old friends (and we still want to show off how well we've aged). When I was growing up, every 3 or 4 years my stepfather would be posted to a different embassy or diplomatic organization. It was always hard to leave friends, knowing that long-distance friendships don't hold up so well. Every kid eventually loses interest in sending pen pal letters and moves on. In cometh FB to change everything! I have managed to reconnect with almost every person I've had a relationship with in my life, just by adding them to my list of FB friends. The site makes it so easy to maintain friendships over distances. Just a comment here and there, or even just a "like" on others' status every once in awhile - these tiny gestures take only a second, but show others that we still think about them and care for them.
Amongst all the many (315) friends I have in the world, there are those who are especially dear to me. I miss these people all the time. You know, the friends who make your heart sing. They are my very own therapists, bringing me out of my bouts of loneliness and depression just by a quick chat on the phone or Skype. I am quite certain that I would not be in touch with these people if it weren't for the Internets. How sad that would be!
[Anyway, that's my long-winded soliloquy touting the wonders of social networking. Thank you, Mark Zuckerburg and your anonymous college roommates.]
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