Though many social media sites come and go just as fast as they appeared- I am talking to you Myspace- there are some that stick around for the long run.
Facebook has been a vital part of my life ever since I joined back in my middle school years. Being that I live far away from most of my family members, Facebook is an easy way to see what everyone is up to. As of late, many have been saying that Facebook is a dying force. I happen to believe otherwise. In fact, I would go so far as to say Facebook has been gaining a new popularity amongst the general public ranging anywhere from about 18-25 years old, the traditional college-aged adult. I was talking to my mom- the same person who used to religiously play “Farmville” and now simply uses it to share ridiculous amounts of videos- about Facebook’s relevance when I realized I was clearly talking to the wrong person.
Some may be wondering: “Well, I don’t use it much, I don’t see how it’s popular anymore.” Have you noticed that one of the main ways our Monmouth University community sticks together is Facebook? We have groups such as: “Monmouth University Class of 2018” and “Monmouth Commuter Students,” or even “NSO Blue Squad,” and so on and so forth. We have continually used Facebook for all Monmouth necessities, as luck would have it, even for writing topics within The Outlook itself for different sections like Opinion and Features use Facebook. There are limitless opportunities we have taken advantage of within Monmouth while weaving Facebook into our plans and it would seem as though we won’t ever stop- cue the chorus of “We Can’t Stop” please!
Just for a moment, I’ll humor the opposing side; for the people that say Facebook is dying out or has already died out, I can see where you are coming from. Usually, the age group that says this is the high school aged teenagers who have yet to be introduced to the outrageous amount of activity college students put out on ‘the book.’ Sure, we use it to keep our community up to date on the latest school events and who’s selling their book for the cheapest price, but Facebook has become a sort of distraction and helpful tool to many. Speaking for myself, I don’t normally post very often and if I do happen to update, it’s usually Instagram photos just linked to my account. But, the best part about mindlessly scrolling through delicious food tutorials dispersed throughout your timeline on Facebook, is that every so often, a few videos about the latest election news comes up, or even controversial videos about equality, rumors, or just celebrity gossip. I was asked once where I get a lot of my news from, and while a lot of times I don’t have the luxury of sitting at the television for a few, or grabbing the newspaper and lounging around to read it, I can honestly say social media has fed me a lot of my news, Facebook especially.
So, to the die-hard Facebook-ers, I commend you and stand by you in our little world filled with Tasty videos and outlandish ‘friend’ counts. And to the negative, Facebook haters, I’ll make a page for you to dislike.
