"There's So Much More Than What You See"

FACEBOOK: PART ONE- THE FIX

My Name Is "__Insert Your Name Here__," And I am ADDICTED To Facebook!

Before the "fan page" was invented, I must admit, I was one of the original "FANS" of Facebook. I remember joining facebook in the beginning of 2005, when it was accessible for only college students and at that time there was still a limited number of colleges participating in this emerging approach towards social networking. So clearly while I was in my dorm room creating random groups, "poking" with guys I would never speak to on campus, and of course building my friends list...Mark Zuckerberg at the same time was at Harvard in his dorm room building this soon to be billion dollar empire.
http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/business/companies/facebook_inc/index.html

Facebook has managed to now connect the entire country through social technology. It has became more lucrative than "forever" existing businesses such as Kraft Foods, Ford Motors and is now going toe to toe with Google in it's billion dollar profits. Everyone is on FACEBOOK! Our President even has a facebook! (http://www.facebook.com/#!/barackobama) Not to mention my Grandmother all the way down to my niece who is in middle school, and those that aren't must clearly have a good balance of self control, and sense of solitary contentment that does not involve the rest of the world. I tip my hat off to those individuals, because I learned early on about the "Facebook Fix."

A facebook or social media addiction is one that can create much distraction in one's life and trust me I realized this early on in my Junior year of college. Before the facebook app on the phones, I would literally spend 2 HOURS sitting at the computer on facebook...but it felt like 15 minutes! This was crazy and a major issue. It was even worse when I continued to check back throughout the day on this website for "new messages, pokes, or responses from friends." I was hooked and one day I had decided I needed to go on a facebook "detox" and deactivate my account for a few weeks. Sometimes I find myself still having to put up facebook restraints. But this "Facebook Fix" is the very reason why this business has become so popular with all walks of life. Facebook is like the new millennium "drug epidemic," maybe that may be a harsh comparison...but now I will tell you why I say this.

Drugs... (prescribed of course) can be a good thing and have MANY wonderful benefits. But if miss-used, or overly used, can create horrible consequences and possibly lead to an addiction. No need to talk about the pros and cons of drugs, I am sure everyone reading this blog has taken D.A.R.E or some type of Drug Educational Course. So first I will  go ahead and point out the AWESOME things about Facebook before I go in: Opportunities for Entrepreneurship, Professional Networking, Connecting with Friends and Family, Receiving Information, Embarking on opportunities, getting a job, meeting a mate, and there are many others...BUT...

THE HIGH  

My mentor once told me this phrase and it has always stuck with me, he said: "Jimmeka, everyone wants attention...men die for it, and babies cry for it." When I look at Facebook sometimes, I wonder has this turned into a self esteem booster for some individuals, and don't get me wrong I am all about building self esteem, that is why I do what I do for youth, but many individuals must know that the underlying issue has to be addressed and resolved. Extrinsic factors such as "attention," whether it is good or bad are only temporary fixes and will leave an individual striving and craving for more. True self esteem and self satisfaction can not be met through extrinsic factors, it is the "intrinsic" cleansing and building that needs to take place for one to reach self actualization, peace and contentment. Status updates that scream attention and peer approval make me cringe to the thought of adults regressing to mental states of adolescence. But with the reciprocation of approval through just a simple click of the "LIKE" button can make a little girl with a half nude photo, a young male with violent, drug related photos, or the BIG cyber bully with LITTLE to no self-esteem feel like they are on cloud nine...like she is "sexy"...like he is "the man" .... or that they are "a force to be reckoned with."

WHAT'S YOUR DOSAGE?
How much time a day do you spend on facebook? Business does not count, but for your personal satisfaction, really...how much time do you spend? Be consciously aware of what is motivating and consuming your day. Is it facebook? Take the challenge of setting up a "NO-FACEBOOK-DAY." Choose your day out of the week where in your personal life you will focus on making yourself happy and content inside. Do not use facebook that day, remove yourself and focus on setting your goals for the next week, and thinking about things you need to work on in your personal life to make yourself happy. It will be hard, but you can do it. Facebook will be there the next day, you will not miss too much in one day! If you are someone that needs to take this challenge, post on our facebook for support and tell us your day. Even write to us your experience and how you felt about taking a step away from your "facebook addiction." Tell yourself  " I AM not the MEdia!"
http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/business/companies/facebook_inc/index.html

(It was too much to put in this post, so I decided to do a Part 2)***STAY TUNED FOR MY NEXT POST, NEXT WEEK: FACEBOOK: PART TWO- THE DIARY

Written By: Jimmeka L. Anderson