I was once told never to get a Facebook. They said Facebook is extremely distracting and you could never get your homework done. We were then visited by global speaker, Claire Diaz-Ortiz. Her argument was that Facebook was a good thing that could be used to connect to people around the world and help save the world. This had me thinking, was Facebook a good thing or a bad?

I decided in order to truly learn about Facebook, I had to get one of my own. I quickly made an account, found some Newark Academy students and began friending them. I was surprised at how quickly people began accepting my friend requests. In a matter of minutes I had over 60 friends.

They began showering me with welcomes and liking and commenting on the few pictures I posted. I got really excited. It became so easy for me to communicate with my good friends. I found some of my friends from my old school and even a friend I had who moved to Florida. Students agreed with me that Facebook is a great way to communicate with friends and family. Silvia Mejia, and eighth grader at Newark Academy said, “[On Facebook] you are able to communicate with your friends or people you knew years ago but lost contact with.”  Sam Fishbein told me, “I can connect with my grandma easier because she lives in Florida and I only see her for 4 weeks every year so I can talk to her as much as I want.” Facebook is a great tool to connect to people around the world. They say the world is getting smaller every year because communicating with the rest of the world has become so simple.

The next day I woke up in the morning and my first thought was to check my Facebook. I quickly realized how quickly Facebook got to me; it is an addicting site. Students and teachers agreed with me that Facebook could easily become a huge distraction. Silvia Mejia told me, “It is very addicting and it takes away a lot of your time. You need control.” Clio Galea agreed with her saying, “It can also distract us from work/academic stuff.” Mr. Ball told me, “It is possible for Facebook to become a distraction when students spend too much time on it and ignore more important activities in their lives–for example, exercise, nature, time with loved ones, and sleep.” I realized that Facebook could take away from valuable time.

I began researching the rumor that Facebook was not a good site because people revealed too much of themselves on Facebook. It turns out that this rumor is very well known. A Newark Academy student who does not have a Facebook told me, “It [Facebook] can also be bad though because people share too much. If you don’t want it on the big screen don’t show it.” Even though she does not have a Facebook and does not know all about it, she still heard the rumor that Facebook could not be appropriate. People with Facebook accounts also heard of this rumor. Jen Huo told me, “Some people post inappropriate pictures and make statuses out of useless things.”

I began searching through Facebook to find if people were using Facebook as a tool to change the word. I found pages for raising breast cancer awareness and groups for feeding the homeless. People were really trying to change the world. Many people agreed with me. Mr. Ball told me, “If it [Facebook] is used to spread loving-kindness and to garner aid for the needy, it could change the course of human history for the better.” Mr. Scerra said, “I believe in the power of communication, so I think Facebook can be a very powerful tool.” Clio Galea told me, “I think that Facebook could be used to help causes, and make people aware of things.” Facebook could ultimately change the world.

Even though there are many pages for trying to get in touch with people to change the world, others doubt Facebook’s efforts. Isabel Alland told me, “Most people do NOT use Facebook seriously.” Facebook is a social media mostly used to communicate with friends and family. Many people have told me that they think that even though people try to save the world on Facebook, they don’t think anything could come of it.

I began exploring Facebook for NA Middle School students to see if we really did try to get all together to make a difference. I discovered that only nine seventh graders had a Facebook account while only three sixth graders did. On the other hand, 34 eighth graders had Facebook accounts. The Middle School all together could not do much on Facebook. Only 27% of middle school students have Facebook accounts.

In the end, I figured that Facebook can be both a good thing, and a bad, depending on the person. Mr. Caldwell also told me, “It can be both good and bad, depending on the maturity and decision-making capabilities of the student.  Using Facebook moderately and not posting garbage means that it can be a good thing.” How Facebook is used all depends on you. It can ultimately change the world. Facebook is a tool that we can use to all come together to achieve the unachievable. So many people don’t realize what a powerful weapon is in our reach. We must take this opportunity and do the unthinkable. Facebook alone cannot change the world though. Facebook is only something we can use in order to. Facebook is a powerful weapon and can achieve magnificent things only if the people behind it are trying to. Mr. Caldwell said, “Facebook is just a tool.  By itself it cannot change the world.  It’s the people that are behind Facebook that will have to determine if Facebook can help change the world.  Good, responsible, motivated, caring, and wise people can use Facebook in such a way that the world might be a better place.”