Social Addiction

Yes, I admit, i have become quite a facebook addict.  I was once a friendster addict, a blogger addict, a myspace addict, and now... im into facebook and back into blogging.  Although the blogging world has slowly deteriorated over the years due to facebook.  It's always fun to look into other peoples lives, share yours, and communicate with long lost friends, family and what-not.  But recently i've realized a problem with social networking.  Here a few that i noticed:

1.  It changes one's perspective about themselves.  At some point you end up looking at other people and compare their lives to your own.  Are they successful, a failure, better or worse off than you?  Are they contented and more or less contented in life than you?
2. It changes one's perspective of other people too.  I have this facebook friend that i idolized.  was happy to finally have as a friend on facebook only to be disappointed at the results of their life.  It changed me.  I no longer saw people the way i used to see them.  I understand that people change, but, well, I just didn't realize that such a person could be who they are right now and made me feel less confident about my own abilities.
3.  It occupies my mind with unnecessary things.  I'm now concerned about causes that people are supporting that if otherwise i didn't know i wouldn't have cared for.  I'm now worried about someone who really doesn't worry about me.  i know know things about people that i probably would have better not known about.

Despite all this, it's a great place to start conversations, revive old friendships and see who really are your friends.  facebook is quite a phenomenon.  Maybe this one won't fade out as fast as those "other" social networking sites did.  They either have to keep up with the cravings of society now or get left behind as something that was once something good.