I’ve been registered at facebook for quite some time now, and before that, there was myspace. I sign in (almost) every day to see if there’s any news from my friends, though I wouldn’t call myself a facebook “addict”. I know lots of people who not only check their facbook every day, but multiple times a day. People who feel the urge every 10 minutes to check in on their profiles. People who, when at parties, ask the party host to borrow the computer to check their facbook.

Then there’s the people who refuse to sign up for such websites as facebook. They criticise the privacy and whatnot. Obviously they lead multiple lives where at least one them is an international secret super agent, and therefore can’t risk sharing information of any sort about themselves. I don’t know about you, but all the information I share with non-friends is my profile picture and a list of my favourite bands. Unless you secretely are an ABBA fan, and for some reason have to state it on your profile, I don’t know what it is they are so afraid of. I don’t share any sensitive information, and seriously, who would? So, facebook know what I look like, and they have my e-mail. I couldn’t care less.

And then there’s the people who just don’t give a fuck about social networking. “Why would I go to facebook to talk to people when I could just go visit people, or call them and talk on the phone?” Well, if you’re naïve enough to honestly believe that people use facebook to substitute their social lives then it means your IQ must be too low understand the internet, and you should probably try and avvoid it altogether.

People I used to go to school with back where I used to live are perfect examples of people who I just wouldn’t give a call. They might not be close friends, but at least they’re acquaintances, and I would like to stay in touch with them. Or at least I like having the illusion that I do keep in touch. I’d much rather strike up a conversation while commenting either their status updates or links they may have shared etc. than call them and go “what are you upto?” The same goes for my childhood friends.

I can’t state enough how brilliant facebook can be. Not that you should feel like the center of the goddamn universe and post every single little thing you do in your status and wait for people to comment, but to keep in touch with friends, new and old, as well as relatives. I admit, I am not very good at keeping in touch with my family, but at least with facebook I can inform them on how I’m doing, and let them know I’m alive. And of course, sites like this let’s me contact Spider Stacy of the Pogues! Simply incredibly brilliant.