Webupon

On August 26, 2008, Facebook hit a huge milestone – 100 million users, a feat which Myspace claims to have achieved back in 2006.

Everyone seems to be logging on, from the old to the young, the rich to the poor.  Sit in any public library and you’ll see that a lot of the internet users are feverishly typing away on Facebook, Bebo, Myspace, OKCupid or Hi5.  And that’s just a few of the big names.

Scientists have coined a new term for the distress caused by being deprived internet access – discomgoogolation. 

So what is it about these sites that are so addictive? 

Anyone can log on and feel instantly connected to a group of people, no matter what time of day it is or where they are in the world.  It leads to a feeling of being part of a community.  There are message boards for fan clubs, common interests and favourite TV shows or books. 

It is also easy to stay in touch with old friends who do not live in the immediate area.  But why is it better than simple old email?  Well, the key is this – user profiles for most of the social networking sites contain a wealth of information about any given individual.  Their status can be updated as and when, so you know exactly when somebody is having a bad day, has passed their driving test or has found a new partner.  Humans are inherently curious.  So much easier to simply read this information rather than having to email and ask them how they are, isn’t it?

You don’t have to make the effort to look good for a messaging marathon or real-time conversation either.  After all, the recipient of your posted messages has no idea whether you’re having a bad hair day, have no makeup on, or are even sitting there in your pyjamas!

In short, you can make less of an effort to maintain friends.  This holds particularly true if you meet somebody new and want to stay in touch, but aren’t yet at the “Come over for coffee!” stage.  It’s less stressful, less humiliating and there are less awkward silences than in a face-to-face meeting.

But social networking sites are not just about old friends.  It’s easy to find new ones with similar interests.    There are dating applications too, so you can widen your pool of potential admirers.  And if somebody doesn’t post back to you? Well, so what?  Plenty more fish in the sea.

Lastly, these sites contain an abundance of different online games to be played, quizzes to be taken and photos of friends past and present, to be viewed.  Can you think of a better excuse to procrastinate for a while, when you should be working in your boring, mundane job?

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to check my facebook…