Morning:
11°c
Today I have been sent five drinks, a glitterball and a kitten. I discovered that my friend Anna has been shopping and bought seven tops, Stephen is frustrated with London's buses and Stella has become a blood donor. I know that Emma's joined a book club and Alastair had microwave risotto for lunch.
On top of all this, I've helped market Bob Dylan's new album, added my thoughts to the "kick out illegal immagrants [sic]" debate and sent Geraldine a venus fly trap. In between I've poked a few mates, despatched a couple of superlatives and been involved in a food fight. Oh, and I've asked over a million people on the London network: Should bosses ban Facebook?
Frankly, it's been an exhausting five hours. What must it be like for the majority of Facebook junkies with an average of 150 "friends" each who apparently spend hours every day surfing the UK's fastest-growing social utility network?
After three weeks on the site, I've amassed 29 of my own, many of whom I'd lost touch with for reasons of overwork and complacency. As one of them messaged me yesterday, "friends who live on the other side of the world somehow don't seem so far away when you know they've had a cream cheese bagel for breakfast".
But that is the upside of Facebook. The downside is the cost to the economy, estimated at £150 million every single day. It's no surprise managers are rubbing their hands at the thought of cutting off our connection to Facebook. Of the skiving rats who replied to my question, all but one said bosses should butt out, that work's miserable enough without being barred from online partying. The renegade, ironically, was a boss himself. "Yes, it should be bloody banned!," he writes. "I need weaning off because it's so addictive."
If my own job had more scope for slacking, I'm sure I'd be helping to bring the economy to a standstill. There is something very attractive about joining the hugely popular I Secretly Want To Punch Slow Walking People In The Back Of The Head group. Because, along with virtual flirting (a third of Facebook users are single), that's what we're doing for 233 million hours every month.
Regular users know Facebook becomes dormant at evenings and weekends - because everyone's off meeting the people they've spent the (working) day arranging drinks with. No one I've contacted denies they overuse it, yet all say they don't abuse it. I'm not sure their bosses would be happy with the distinction but still, should Facebook really be banned?
As I sign off, Anna is already "looking-alluring in one of the seven new tops", Emma is "loving the autumn sunshine" and I've just noticed tomorrow is Stella's birthday.
When work dominates our lives and erodes our ability to keep relationships fresh we all need these postcards from the real world. Perhaps if our bosses signed up to Facebook, they'd realise that too.
Reader views (4)
I have never used Facebook or MySpace and I never will. This article is correct in everyway. Time for people to communicate face-to-face if they live in the same town, and stop wasting time on the computer. Many people i've met use facebook to talk to someone who just lives down the street! Then some people insist me to join and ask me "i'll friend you on facebook". seriously, it feels like brainwashing.
- Manny, Australia
mmmmmmh, i'm a bit split about it... of course, fb is an addictive, time-wasting, imaginary digital world... I used to spend 5hours a day on it too (not so hard when you're a student, seriously ^^), and now use it with discernment (true story)...
It's only a matter of choice, you know... doesn't take soooo long to stay in regular touch with friends all over-the-world, to get in touch with people you'd lost for years, or even to meet new friends... And, if you really want it, you can even manage to find some more time for the friends around you with whom you wanna have a "real" social life...
The only problem will be, as Charlotte very clever said, how much time our energy-absorbing time-consuming stress-inducing work will let us to sustain our social life...
If, in addition to work and friends, you also want to take care of yourself (sports, cooking, relaxing, partying, and all the like), whare are you gonna find the time...
Fact is, you've GOT all that time, you CAN manage to do all of it... you just need to learn how to organize, how to choose when and where it is most appropriate and relevant to do all these things you've got to heart =)
If a 21 y.o. french student managed to do it, you sure can =) So finally, the question is not "should facebook be banned", but "how cleverly can use use facebook and rule your life ?"
Nicolas
ps: of course this was written during working time =)
- Nicolas, France
Charlotte, I couldn't agree with you more! I've never encountered a bigger time-waster in my entire life; I'd rather spend my time with 'real' friends and not delude myself with an 'imagined' audience in cyberspace. Well done!
- David, Sydney, Australia
I agree 100%. A well-written and very entertaining article. Thank you!
- Johann, Centurion, South Africa
