Having a social life no longer means leaving the confines of your home or dorm room. People all over the nation, as well as students here at UAF, are socializing through networks like MySpace and Facebook.
Time Magazine recently published an article about Facebook, which was founded by students at Harvard to connect with friends and reconnect with old ones. It has grown to include over 2,500 colleges and high schools across the world. Facebook was founded only two years ago by Harvard student, Mark Zuckerberg. The website that was originally intended to just reconnect friends is now worth millions due to its adselling potential.
Approximately 455 UAF student profiles are listed on facebook. The Student Activities Office uses it to promote events. On each profile, the student can post a picture and information about him or herself. They have the option of publishing everything from their phone number to their political views. If a student is interested in finding others with the same interest, such as favorite book or movie, they simply click on the title of their favorite movie, and a list of that movie's fans pops up.
Unlike MySpace, Facebook requires users to have a school email address before they can register. Faculty and staff can also register, though none are listed at UAF.
Carl Johnson attends Concordia in Moorhead, Minnesota, a private Lutheran college, and said Facebook has a large following at his school. "At my school, Facebook is God. It's also our main form of communication," he said.
"We also use Facebook to flirt and keep in contact with old friends. We also use it to get an idea what someone is like. When you meet someone and you want to know something more about them, we Facebook 'em and learn their interests. If they're available, phone numbers, mailbox numbers, and to check to make sure you aren't hitting on someone who isn't even attracted to your gender. We have a lot of addicts here."
Megan Sullivan, a UAF student who is studying abroad in Ireland, said that she uses Facebook like any other email service to keep in contact with friends in Alaska as well as to look at pictures of what they are doing.
"Facebook is really convenient for making plans in Ireland, because not all my friends here have phones or are easy to contact," she said.
Raymond Owen, 22 and a philosophy major, does not participate in the online craze.
"It gives the government or anyone else who wants to get an intimate look at your daily life. If they want to get a psychological profile on you, they can look at your personal profile and see what you do, who's talking to you what you're talking about and if you participate in mundane activities."
He doesn't think the government is after him personally, but says "You never know."
Amanda Harris is studying journalism at the University of Montana and when she started searching Facebook, she found her girlhood crush attended the same college. She was surprised to find while looking at his profile that they had many of the same friends in common. "Facebook helps you reconnect and find stuff out about people you never thought you'd see again," she said.
