How Facebook Changed My Life

It is difficult to believe, but there was life before Facebook. I remember growing up at a time when the first computers were being created, hearing the foreign term, “data processing ” and wondering what all of the fuss was about. The first computers were large and rather odd-looking creations. They were different and novel, which may have been the reasoning behind my initial attraction to them. I could not wait to use one and I did for the first time when I was a senior in high school. It was an experience that I have never forgotten. The device was smart and promising back then. It was supposed to make all of our lives easier and it did, eventually.

The internet came and connected home computers with the world. The only problem that I had with it personally was that everyone still seemed to be so scattered. There was not one place to go and be able to connect with friends, family and personal interests all in one place. I wrote countless many emails to my contacts that basically gave the same information. I remember wishing that a program would come along that would allow me to write one letter, send pictures of my family and simply express my feelings in real time. Years later, my wishes were answered by some highly intelligent students at an Ivy League University.

Facebook changed everything. There were no longer lost connections with high school friends or people in my life that moved away. If I wanted to be found, Facebook made it possible and it brought people together like nothing before it. It allowed me not only to send letters, but to give my friends current information about me and an overview of my life. It gave me the option to chat with them and send them invitations to a special event or to simply say “Happy Birthday.”

The recent changes to Facebook have been daunting and confusing to some people. I had my own sense of dread when I logged on and found the changes displayed on my page. At first, I was a little upset at Facebook. Why change something that works so well? Then, I allowed myself to remember a time in my life when it didn’t exist and the many times that I had wished for it even before it came along. I was angry at Facebook because it means so much to me. I can’t imagine life without it now that it is here. I suspect that others have grown attached to it for the same reasons. It is a part of my daily life that I do not want to give up. I had embraced computers when they were new. Moreover, I made the decision to embrace change and technology. It seems ridiculous to stop now.

Facebook is currently an extremely successful business, but it is much more than that. It is my connection, my hobby and it gives us all a place in the world around us. It is a gift to be embraced- changes and all.


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