In this day and age, having an account on a social networking site such as Facebook, Twitter, or Tumblr is very common. To those who do not have a personal account for at least one of these websites may be deemed "weird" by their peers. Although these websites can be fun to use, they can become addictive very quickly. For some, spending more than three hours on one website is part of their daily routine.
"The most time I've spent on Tumblr has been, oh, about six hours." says Oswego State student, Victoria Wild. "I usually go on there after work or school. There's honestly nothing else to do."
However, people who constantly update their social networking sites could be missing out on important events that are going on in their lives.
For example, your college's basketball team is playing their championship game tonight. Your roommate is on the team and asks you to go. But, instead of going out and enjoying yourself while interacting with your peers, you choose to sit at home in your room all alone to eat junk food and scroll through your news-feed to see what your ex-significant other is up to that night.
Another con of being "addicted" to these social networking websites is the level of procrastination that the users reach. If you have a ten page paper on the French Revolution due the next day and you haven't even finished the introduction because you are too engrossed in the game of Farmville that you're playing; you just might have a serious problem.
The question is this: why do people feel the need to be on these sites all of the time? Are they worried that if they step away from the computer for a few hours that they are going to miss something that could change their life forever?
"When I go on my Tumblr, I usually just look to see if any Glee spoilers were leaked." Wild continues. "I know, it's silly; but I can't help it. Tumblr sucks you in and doesn't spit you out."
Contrary to popular belief, these websites are good for several things. Keeping in touch with old friends and family members who have moved away is one reason why so many people log into their accounts every day.
”I have friends that have gone away to college, so I use Facebook to keep in contact with them and talk to them." says Oswego High School junior, Erin Chetney.
Another pro to these sites is users are becoming more technically advanced. When going out into the workforce, employers might require their employees to know how to work a computer and work websites online. Some people are even paid to spend most of their day online, blogging about news and current events.
Social networking websites may be fun and entertaining, but spending copious amounts of time online is not always a good thing. Step away from the keyboard and do something else for a change. Go outside, read a book, or take a walk. Go out and actually live your life in the real world, not behind a computer screen.
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