Betsy Philippi
K'La's 4:30 Thursday

Facebook has not only become a phenomenon in our society, it has become a staple. It is so popular because people are intrigued by others’ lives and their daily activities, and it has also become a vital tool in our society’s communication.
Many people use Facebook to look at what people are doing, without that person’s knowledge. It’s like going through an ex boyfriend’s room and him never knowing about it. Using Facebook you can go through anyone’s personal stuff that you want, old friends, teachers, bosses, enemies, anyone. It’s just like people’s obsession with movie stars. Facebook is paparazzi and tabloids for regular people. The idea of privacy is all but gone in American society today, we all want to know each other’s business and feel entitled to it.
Games, Bumper Stickers, and other applications are another part of the Facebook phenomena. You can spend hours on whatever game you’ve added, or have ‘wars’ with your friends to see who can find the funniest Bumper Stickers.
One highly positive note about Facebook is its functions in communication. Everyone has cell phones these days, but you don’t always have everyone’s number to contact them. With emails you need to know the person’s address if you want to get a hold of them. Paper mail hardly even exists anymore; which is a direct reflection on how technology is affecting our lives and values.
Americans want things fast. Patience is a rare trait to find which I feel is directly related to technology. As improvements are made on technology making them faster Americans just expect things to happen instantly. Facebook satisfies this desire for people. With Facebook you don’t need a phone number or email address, you simply type in the person’s name you’re looking for and you can communicate with them instantly, just like we like.
Messages can be sent privately, or can be written on the public ‘wall.’ And with newly added ‘Facebook Chat’ you can have instant messaging conversations while you view pictures of that person on their profile. Sometimes you don’t even have to send words to communicate with a person, you can just ‘poke’ them to let them know that you are thinking of them. Which brings a up another point about American society. We are very impersonal. If we can say Hi by clicking a button, we are satisfied and can get on with what we’re doing. Americans don’t take as much time as other cultures to even greet friends. A quick handshake and it’s done, whereas other cultures embrace or exchange kisses. America is a goal oriented society in which time matters, and can’t be wasted on friendliness.
I believe that Facebook was created as a tool for communication and to share things with close friends; but as ‘friendlists’ grow and newer ways are added to communicate, Facebook is quickly becoming a major part of American culture. If you’re not on it, you might be thinking about it, or having a conversation about it. It is a huge fad in American culture right now, and the popularity of Facebook is just an example of how our society is always looking for the next big thing, or the latest trend. We value the things we have, and want to get new and better things as soon as they are available, again displaying our need for instant results as well as our competitiveness and needs to be the best and have the best.
Facebook reflects many of the values in our culture. It is popular and useful, two thing every American loves, convenience. It is a good tool, but hopefully we can use its positive aspects more than its negative ones.