Facebook, the obsession of the time

Since the service of Internet have entered into our Arab world, the obsession began to the point of addiction in many times, add to this sitting long hours before computer screens to surf the Internet. In some cases these hours may extend to 14 hours continuously with no rest; this figure came from one of the Facebook addicts.

It is important to note that the statistics and studies on the use of Arab surfer to the Internet indicate that the rate of more than half of the surfers use the Internet to access pornographic or amusement sites, whether to download movies or games, and the use of the Internet for the purposes of scientific researches and serious use is less than 20% of the total use!

It is a shameful rate at a time we are in dire need to science and knowledge to stand on our feet again and to restore the Islamic civilization after long years of deterioration, so renaissance is our only hope to go back again to the world map.

One of the analysis to this regretful matter indicates that the Arab world was not qualified to enter the era of information and communication revolution, so the matter was like unexpected cultural shock for people who are not familiar with the sources of information, especially if these information are flowing, without interruption, without restrictions, without conditions, without blocking, and without rationalization.

In this way, the Internet is one of the modern means of communication that is added to the list of other time-consuming means, such as satellite channels which aim for entertainment regardless of the content.

If the Internet is one of the phenomena which is more attractive to its users, the social network "Facebook" is counted, without competition, the strongest obsession and the most attractive to users especially young people who are the category which all statistics all around the world indicate to be the most using category for the latest communication means "the Internet."

I would like to call the "Facebook" "the social network of communication" because it is the most accurate expression. It allows an infinite number of individuals to communicate and know the news of each other through the events and activities which they attend or share, as it offers many other applications, such as: Sending cards and audio files for all the user's friends by a single click. Moreover, "Facebook" contains special groups for the people of intellect, culture, and the people who have the same goals in which they exchange their ideas and suggestions.

These groups include all the possible intellectual and cultural trends: Technical, cultural, and literal, moreover they may include political ideas that may reach to organize sit-ins, demonstrations, or strikes, and the last activity is the milestone in the use of these groups.

However, the infinite number of applications, which it makes available for its users and sharing pictures, videos, and audio files of the members of each group make the "Facebook" one of the excellent means of wasting time, but I do not exaggerate if I say: It eats up the time of its browsers.

In order that a person follows-up the news of his friends and the files they send, comments on events, or even joins a group or a set of groups on this enormous network, he will take over an hour or more according to the degree of obsession which controls the user of "Facebook".

If the time of surfing one address on the Internet takes a full hour, how long will it take to follow-up the news on various news sites or download some of the programs they use?

The users of "Facebook" have to pay attention to the main objective of browsing this site, which is knowing the news of their friends, asking about them, communicating with them even remotely because of the far distance and the narrowness of time. It is not a means of entertainment as some young people use because everything has two edges: One is positive and the other is negative. However, a wise person is the one who uses these times in meeting the needs and responsibilities, for we are responsible for every moment in our lives; where did we spend them and how should we use them?