Hi, my name is Heather and I’m addicted to Facebook

As we approach the weekend, Nathan and I start laying out our plans for Saturday and Sunday. This morning we were discussing whether or not we’d tag along with my dad and brother to see the new Indiana Jones flick on Sunday. I told Nathan probably not; Sunday is my grocery day and I also have to prepare a presentation for class on Monday. Nathan looked at me and said, “Just do it now. Get it done.”

I acted all indignant-like and made noises about how he doesn’t understand what I have to do for this presentation. He responded with an accusation that cut me to the quick with it’s truth. “You know, you’d get more done if you weren’t spending all your time of Facebook.” He said this with his signature head-bob meant to emphasize his point. I became irritated. A brief argument ensued with me making fun of his bobbleheady mannerisms, but what irked me most was that I knew he was right.

So what is it about Facebook that’s so addicting? Is it the ability to re-connect with friends with whom we’ve lost touch over the years? Is it the multitude of applications that allow us to assess what kind of Disney Pricness we are or the Beatles song that defines our life? Is it that we can accept and deliver cupcakes, flowers, birthday greetings and good karma to our friends without having to invest the time or money in an actual face-to-face visit? Yeah. I’m pretty sure it’s all that and more.

I’ve always been an over-sharer, so Facebook has slipped right in and fulfilled my desire to broadcast my comings and goings. If I open up Pandora and start listening to my favorite classical station, it’s reflected on my Facebook page. If I update my calendar on 30 Boxes, that’s also updated and my friends now know what I have coming up on my schedule. Any time I write on someone’s wall, “superpoke” them or add an application, all my friends are notified. I recently added an application called “My Camera Gear” and dutifully logged in all my camera equipment down to the last CF card. I showed the list to Nathan and he said, “It’s nice of you to put that out there so the thieves will know exactly what to take.”

While I assured my husband that my profile is private and only friends have access to my personal info, he does bring up a good point. Facebook, or any social network, can be a haven for unscrupulous individuals wishing to take advantage of all that juicy information. The nice thing about Facebook is that you can control your privacy settings right down to your status updates. That way only your friends will know you’ve left the house for a walk with the family. The thieves will just have to guess when you won’t be home.

If this whole thing sounds kind of Big-Brother-ish, I guess it is. You can’t really do much on Facebook without everyone knowing about it. That’s how Nathan busted me. He’s on Facebook and knows I was playing Bowling Buddies when I should have been doing other things. I totally blew his high score out of the water though. Oh yeah.

For the next two weeks (or 13 days, rather) I’m going to have to stay away. I have a lot to do. A lot of rather mundane reading/research type things for my presentation and final paper that I’m sure would thrill my Facebook pals. But fear not. I will be back.