9- Facebook: The World at Our Fingertips

The first thing that came to my mind (I am sure I am not alone in this) after reading this assignment was facebook stalking. Facebook.com is a perfect place for people to have problematic internet use due to its vastness. There is SO much to be done on facebook; pictures to look at, walls to posts on, people to “poke”, music to share. The fact that facebook is coming up with more and more applications in mind blowing! The other day on my news feed I saw that someone added the “lax fan” application. When and where did that come from?! Facebook allows people to do a million things at once. When someone signs on, they are instantly bombarded with news about random people and friends, which supposedly should interest them. From there, people can check away messages, check status, and pretty much be kept up to date on everything and anything the person is doing. It is easy to understand why facebook could be a huge catalyst in problematic internet use, due to its accessibility and “all-in-one” feel. Caplan’s model applies to the facebook situation very much. People who have low social competence clearly find it easier to communicate online than in person. Facebook is a safe-haven for these types of people to be themselves and not worry about any face to face interactions. Being on facebook makes them feel less threatened and more comfortable. Feeling this strong way towards facebook (and the internet in general) allows for this problematic internet user to compulsively check and use facebook and be online in general. Caplan’s cycle is caused more by the feelings of loneliness then it is by depression, but these two psychological conditions play a very key role. I strongly believe that facebook is one of the most intense and available online space that causes problematic internet use in student’s our age. Facebook, however, is strongly expanding their user base from just college and high school kids, to now many different aged and kinds of people. Since, like I said earlier, facebook is so accessible and convenient, it makes it easy for people to compulsively use this online space.