Facebook

I would like to begin this argument by thanking my opponent, Mr.Bitterness for accepting this debate and I wish you good luck! "First off, I would like to illustrate that Facebook can be bad for one's mental well being." Pretty much any activity in which the user over indulges in can be detrimental for their mental well being. Think about it…too much studying can cause one to become stressed, too much eating can cause multiple health problems, spending too much time watching TV can cause one to become inactive and they may even develop eye problems. Does this make doing homework or eating bad? No. It just simply means that too much of one thing is usually not good. "Students who use Facebook receive, on average, lower grades than their peers who do not use Facebook." I use Facebook and have all A's. Practically every student at my school has a Facebook, a majority being kids with exceptional grades. While this does not account for the rest of the world's student, it is a good representation of Facebook student users. I will refer to my point from above. If you use Facebook too much, then it may cause a decrease in grades, just as if you spend too much time playing a certain sport or watching tv. This does not make playing a sport or watching TV bad though! If you're not a student, and you use Facebook, you are most likely a citizen with a job. Well, if you use Facebook while you are at work, you are causing a dramatic loss of productivity for your company. One major law firm in the U.K looses an estimated $264 million USD a day in lost productivity due to Facebook. (2) How is this Facebook's fault? And yet again, I will refer back to my first point. Using Facebook in moderation is fine. Overindulging and becoming obsessed with Facebook can cause a loss of productivity, but so can texting. If you use this point, you could also say that cell phones are bad. Cell phone usage causes more deaths on the road than Facebook does…does this mean cell phones are bad? No. I can assure you that the active 250 million users of Facebook (http://www.facebook.com...) outnumber those who have even heard of www.anywho.com. (Like me.) Where else can you update your status so that people thousands of miles away can keep up with what you're doing, post photos of your growing children, or IM long lost friends from the comfort of your own home? I don't believe www.anywho.com offers those options. "Personally, I am a firm believer in not "expressing myself" over the web." This may be you personally, and I respect that. Others love to update their statuses multiple times daily in order to keep their friends and family up to date. Facebook offers the option of creating groups where people can come together to pray for a sick relative and update others on their progress with a certain disease or illness. You can join a cause such as Remembering 9/11 or raising awareness about a certain topic. Con brings up the point that if others want to learn about you, then they should talk to you. That's not always an option. I have learned a lot about students in my school who I hardly ever get to talk to through Facebook. Applications such as Flair, Bumper Stickers, and their About Me sections give insight into their interests and personal likes and dislikes. While you may not enjoy expressing yourself through the Web, many love it. And just because you personally like to talk to people, others are more shy and would rather open up on the internet. There are other ways that people can express themselves, but how is this a downside to Facebook? "Yeah, Facebook is fun, but I can think of many more hobbies that do not have negative side effects, and are more productive" Those are other options that are offered in addition to Facebook. Again, how is this a downside to Facebook? Softball can lead to more serious injuries than Facebook anyways. Why can't one use Facebook and have other activities that they are involved in? My opponent is making it sound as though everyone who has a Facebook is addicted and has no other activities they are involved in, so therefore Facebook is bad. This is certainly not the case. The smartest of people have Facebook accounts and also have an outside life. I agree using Facebook over-excessively is not good for an individual, this not often the case, and does not mean that Facebook is terrible. I too am fervently awaiting your response Con! (: Oh, and I do believe I made some points in my opening argument, rather than just letting you begin. This website is not meant for the most uptight and formal of debates. Each debater has his or her own debating style, and mine is not having a real long opening argument. I'd prefer to just bring up my main points and leaving it open to my opponent, so I'd appreciate it if you'd just worry about how you are debating, and I mean that in the most respectful of ways. Thanks :)