Facebook; Network or a Web?

Yesterday, I read like millions of people around the globe an article in a website that I am not familiar with, about   Mark Zuckerberg's intention to shut down Facebook (the so called "social network") on 15th March 2011. Regardless of the validity of such a piece of news, it has stirred a lot of discussions and created a sense of conflicted emotions of fear, worry, joys or even absolute disagreement.

I have to say that I felt good when I read the news. The so called argument made by Zuckerberg to justify his decision (not yet verified), made sense to me. I have been on Facebook since the beginning of its popularity in Egypt. Till now, I have witnessed many changes that happened to the website's layout, applications and most importantly the mentality of its members.

I will talk about my experience with Facebook through the eyes of an Egyptian girl who has been bewildered by this massive invention that has brought all the world together as never before in history. For me, when I wanted to create a Facebook account, I had first to understand what it is all about from my colleagues at college. It was this mysterious yet catchy trend that I, along with many others, wanted to explore and be part of it. It was not a must, as the case nowadays, to have a Facebook account; however, it was something "New". The point is nobody had to make an account. At that point, Facebook was still a luxury.

At the beginning, adding a single photo of me was a total "faux pas". "Noha, my brother told me that we should not add our photos at all. You can never know who might get them," a friend told me about 5 years ago. Adding the first photo on Facebook for the first time was one of the hardest decisions I had to make. No kidding, it was. Now, everyone adds photos of every aspect in their daily life. They add photos of their hang-outs, weddings, engagement parties, anniversaries...etc.

Our private lives are not private anymore. The funny thing is when a girl, for instance, wants to know about what's in for this season, she can log onto any of her friends' profiles, they do not have to be connected anyway. Not only the photos, now you can know about the tiny little details about one's personal life, you get it. Even if a person adjusts his/her privacy settings, there is always this single friend who knows that person who you are dying to know anything about and and you can get what you want in a snap of a finger.

Facebook has altered many people's lives immensely. Some people have started their businesses through it. Others know all the news by checking their home-pages. Loads of young people do not read daily newspapers or watch the news on TV. Other have reconnected with old friends. Others got married through Facebook. Facebook has provided people with all they need. 

For a long while, I have developed an addiction for Facebook. I have tried to get to some sort of a virtual rehab and fight my constant urge to log into it. I have deactivated my account several times, but all in vain. It is not because of any weakness on my side, but it has definitely to do with the fact that we have got to that stage that if you don't have a Facebook account, you are not in the real world. You are absolutely the walking dead. Without a Facebook account, you will lose contact with many of your friends. Think of the events that you will be missing and the news that you will know of 4 or 5 days after everyone knows of it. Girls, think of all of those fashionable items and fancy parties you will have this exclusive scoop to spot.

People, our life will have a major MALFUNCTION without Facebook.

This makes me wonder, "Is Facebook a mundane social network that we can easily leave, or has it become a web where everyone is entangled to its fragile walls?"

2011, What a start!

Yesterday was new year's eve. My friend and I were spending the last moments in 2010 together talking and discussing our future plans for the new year. The clock ticked 12:00 AM, "Cheers!" I went to bed a few minutes later after watching the fireworks from my balcony.

I woke up the next morning feeling a little weird. I wasn't sure what it was, but the whole new year joy was missing. Once I stepped out of my room, my brother broke the news right away, saying "There was an explosion yesterday in front of a church." I could not believe my ears, and I thought that this might have happened elsewhere.

Unfortunately, it was in Alexandria. I logged into my Facebook account, and there it was all black. Bloody posts everywhere and my Christian and Muslim friends were grieving. It is a disaster, indeed. I was speechless and helpless at the same time. I did not know what to do or what to say.

At night, my friends and I had plans to attend an event. None of us was excited about it anymore. I called one of them to see if she was going to make it or not, she lives in the same area where the explosion took place. Her voice was full of anxiety and fear. She said she would not go out because police is everywhere. She also told me that she heard the sound of the explosion. It was a few block away.

That is when I thought that whoever did this did not only ruin Christian's joy and festivities, but a whole nation's joy, security and trust.

I am just praying like anyone else that this would stop for now. I hope that victims rest in peace and I hope that God grants their families, friends and beloveds strength and patience.