My name is Jake. I'm addicted to Facebook.

It's true. I said it. I am, in fact, a Facebook addict. I spend an average of three or four hours on the website each day, writing on the walls of high school friends, somewhat "stalking" people I haven't seen in years. I'm sure I'm not the only college student out there who's suffering from this same disease; a number of my friends joined the group "I'm double majoring in napping and Facebook with a minor in procrastination." If only this could be true. (It oftentimes seems like it is.) Even though the website is slowly taking over my life, I feel like its effects on me aren't all entirely negative. I think Facebook is good outlet for me to release my stress. I can take a short break (haha...short) from writing my chem lab or reading my Citizen Media chapter and log onto Facebook where I can keep in touch with friends who live hundreds of miles away. One of my best high school friends moved away to Utah after our junior year. If it wasn't for Facebook, I probably would have lost communication with her after a couple of years. Facebook, even though it might be a tiny bit creepy and stalkeresk, allows me to keep tabs on people who I no longer get to see on a daily basis. I can always check out their recent wall postings or pictures to see what they've been up to now that they went away to college. I have Facebook friends from all over the world: a good friend from middle school living in Japan, a foreign exchange student from Germany, family members living in New York and Virginia. It's nice to be able to send little pieces of information their way in order to let them know how I'm doing here at IU. Although, yes, I probably spend way too much time on the website, I feel Facebook has been a very good thing for me. It is an awesome way to unite so many of the world's youth in one place. So yes, my name is Jake, and I am proud to be addicted to Facebook.