Student Cause/Effect Essay #2

When Harvard student Mark Zuckerberg created Facebook for the use of fellow classmates around the dorms, he had no idea that he would become the founder of the second largest social networking site on the web (Yadiv). Whether you are a high school student or a married mother of three, you’ll find that Facebook can be useful and fun. However, there seems to be an alarming trend among Facebook users. This dangerous trend is called Facebook addiction disorder, or FAD.

Facebook Addiction Disorder

Facebook addiction disorder may seem innocent and non-threatening, but psychologists are beginning to see just how serious this addiction is (Pope). According to psychologists, a series of questions can be used to determine if this disorder is affecting you. Some of these questions include: Are personal relationships taking a backseat to Facebook? Do you use Facebook to escape problems or homework? Do you stay on Facebook longer than you intended? Do you think about Facebook when you are offline? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you may be addicted to Facebook.

Obviously this simple test of questions isn’t the only determining factor to the diagnosis of Facebook addiction. The important thing to realize is that whether you are a proclaimed Facebook addict or just a once-a-month user, Facebook is a distraction. This distraction can cause many short-term and even a few long-term complications.

Short-Term Effects

There are many short-term effects that can result from abused Facebook usage. Procrastination is the highest and most obvious result of Facebook use. People like to get on Facebook when they feel like they need to take a break from the stressful world, and Facebook is their own little oasis. It distracts people from the task at hand. As a frequent Facebook user, I know how easy it is to lose track of time while online. This loss of time and loss of touch with the outside world can prove to be hazardous though.

Another prominent short-term effect of high Facebook usage is sleep deprivation. Far too many people are staying on facebook while they should be sleeping. Sleep is essential in performing the daily functions of humans. Without sleep people lose focus and have a lack of concentration. This is especially true of students who often have a hard time staying awake during classes.

Lack of focus isn’t the only hazard of sleep deprivation, however. Facebook use can indeed cause much more serious complications. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, drowsiness and fatigue cause more than 100,000 traffic accidents each year with young drivers are at the wheel in more than half of these crashes (Carpenter).

Facebook tends to be the beginning of a long chain of reactions. For instance, instead of writing a paper, you decide to spend a little time on Facebook. Losing track of time, you end up spending twice the time you intended. Now you have to hurry and write your paper, causing you to get a poor grade on the paper. This in turn causes you to receive a bad grade in the class. This bad grade causes your GPA to drop. This dropped GPA limits your choices of colleges you can attend. The smaller selection of colleges causes you to choose one that doesn’t offer courses in the field you want to pursue. In the end you have to change your major all because you got on Facebook instead of writing your paper.

Long -Term Effects

Facebook is made to be an easy way to keep up with friends and family, but it may be destroying the very relationships it’s trying to connect. Many people are using Facebook to talk with others rather than giving them a phone call or a face-to-face visit. This can be devastating in the long run. Over the years of only virtual contact, the bonds created between people will die down or even end all together. The age old saying of out of sight, out of mind comes into play in this instance. If the only time you think about a person is when you are online, then the chances that you’ll remember them later are slim.

The reverse effect may also be true. If you spend most of your day on the computer on Facebook, then your real life relationships may also suffer. People are so busy living in the cyber-space world that they forget that real life is passing them by. With this neglect to the real, living world friendship-loss or even divorce could occur in extreme situations.

Job loss is another long-term effect that could occur from overuse of Facebook. Being on facebook instead of doing your job could cause those jobs to be done poorly, late, or even not at all. Every time this poor work ethic is shown, the chances that you’ll get fired rise. If you get fired you will lose your source of income. With this loss of income, you could become poor and have to live in poverty; all because you decided to get on facebook instead of doing your job.

In conclusion, you can see over-usage of Facebook can cause many long-term and short-term problems. However, just because you are a Facebook user doesn’t necessarily mean that you are addicted to it and you’re life will be ruined. Facebook in moderation is fine. It is important though to realize how serious the complications of Facebook abuse can be. People need to keep Facebook usage to the way it was intended to be, as a leisurely activity, and not a lifestyle choice.

English Composition I
Student Cause/Effect Essay #2

Effects of Facebook Addiction

English Composition I Student Cause/Effect Essay #2

Effects of Facebook Addiction

English Composition I
Student Cause/Effect Essay #2