Facebook in Real Life

So over the past few years Facebook has taken over everyone's life. People feel the need to let everyone in their circle know exactly what they are thinking or doing, or not doing for that matter. It has become a staple in many people’s daily routines, and it is becoming very Orwellian. I have to admit I used to be caught up in what one of my friends called "an online trap". So who cares if it has become a way of life for people, I could think of worse things in the world people could be doing. I heard three separate stories regarding Facebook this week that make me realize that my friends on Facebook are either boring or normal. I am going to opt for normal.
The first story I heard was that a study by the law firm Divorce Online cited that one out of three divorces that cite unreasonable behaviors use Facebook as the cause. This is caused because couples claim that their spouses are flirting with their friends on the social networking site. So call me dumb or a Facebook novice but most married couples I know are at least friends with each other and can see what the other says. My wife and I don't even have our own accounts. I am going to guess that Facebook is not the problem there. In my personal opinion stupidity is the mitigating factor in these break-ups. First off if your marriage can't survive some comments on Facebook, my guess is there are much deeper issues than Facebook infidelity.

The second story I heard about Facebook was that a Seattle man created a page looking for a kidney. The page was sent out their friends and they sent it to their friends and so on and so on. This is the good thing about Facebook. Some find personal pleas annoying, but I don't. I figure if you can't ask your friends who can you ask. One of my wife's high school classmates has a little girl with Leukemia and they have been able to connect because other classmates arranged a fundraiser for her foundation, which is not to pay for her bills, but to re-decorate the children’s waiting area at UMass Memorial. They took to Facebook and scheduled some fundraisers to help the cause.

The last story I heard this week was about a Florida man getting dismissed from a jury because he sent a friend request to the defendant in the case. Once again I think that Facebook is the false victim in this story. The man was looking up people in the case on Facebook to see if he knew any of them. He then "accidentally" requested the friendship of the defendant. A similar case happened in England when a juror put a poll out on Facebook asking which way to vote in a child abduction and sexual assault case. That's a major problem and could possibly lead to the courts going to the extreme by banning cell phones and laptops in the courthouse and any case that lasts more than a day the jury will be sequestered.

I am not in tune to Facebook as much as I used to. I really go on to post the link for this blog (thanks everyone for reading by the way). Facebook has only changed its format and its design in the years that it has been online. The members of Facebook have abused its use. I have literally seen people self destruct on Facebook, having online heated arguments.  It is used for everything and people get connected whom otherwise would not be connected because they can hide behind a wall on the internet. It has been used in police investigations, court cases and has gotten kids in trouble in school for the things that have been said or pictures that have been posted. I still truly feel there is some privacy in this world and don't share my entire life on Facebook. However, I will continue my tradition in April when I will be updating the world on the birth of my second child.......on Twitter.

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