Facebook Schmacebook...Or Is It?

It's to no ones surprise that Facebook is a cultural phenomenon. Even more so than Myspace I would think. I can speak for myself in saying unashamedly that www.facebook.com is indeed my homepage and I literally check it several times a day. Sometimes I'll just be lying at home and refreshing Facebook over and over again...it's really sad but admittance is the first step to recovery right?! With all the different ways to connect to literally anyone in the world it is a little hard to step away slowly from it. It's a fun site, and a really great way for people to stay in touch and share ideas but seriously, it's time to ask ourselves "How much is too much"?

So everyone pretty much knows the history of Facebook. It was started at Harvard, or was it Yale? Dartmouth? It doesn't matter really. But what began as something small soon became a worldwide phenomenon that people are addicted to. And it's more than you think.

The problem here isn't Facebook itself, because 200 million+ users probably function just fine. It's the disassociation from the real world that causes problems. One therapist, Paula Pile, compared Facebook to the Jim Carey movie The Truman Show. On Facebook, everything is perfect and nothing goes wrong and people only present the best of themselves and they want to be your friend, and it's all very seductive.

Even though there isn't a scientific term for Facebook addiction, here are some clues that you might have a problem (according to a CNN.com)...

1. You lose sleep over Facebook

"If you're staying up late at night because you're on Facebook, and you're tired the next day, Facebook may be a compulsion for you," Lipari said. "You shouldn't be neglecting yourself because of Facebook."

2. You spend more than an hour a day on Facebook

Pile says it's hard to pinpoint exactly how much is too much time to be spending on social networking.

"I can't imagine that anyone would need more than an hour a day on Facebook, and probably no one needs more than 30 minutes," she said.

3. You become obsessed with old loves

Reconnecting with old friends is one of the great attractions of Facebook, and there's nothing necessarily wrong with "friending" an old boyfriend or girlfriend. But Pile warns that it can get out of hand very quickly.

"One of my clients met up with an old boyfriend on Facebook. They started spending hours and hours into the night talking to each other on Facebook. She made some really inappropriate comments about how unhappy she was in her marriage," Pile said. "Her cousin saw the comments and told her parents, and the parents told the husband, and now they're in the process of getting divorced."

4. You ignore work in favor of Facebook

"If you're not doing your job in order to sneak time on Facebook, you could have a real problem," Lipari said.

5. The thought of getting off Facebook leaves you in a cold sweat

Sarah Browne, who writes the Guru of New blog, gave up Facebook for Lent last month when she realized that she had a "mild" addiction to the site. She's come up with "Seven Signs You May Be Ready for a Social Media Detox."

Or just try this quick test...try not using Facebook for one day. If you can't, you probably have a problem.

Honestly, I think it's fine. Facebook is just another fad like Myspace was when it first came out and everyone was addicted to it. Enjoy your interconnectivity with friends and family as we have it because this is the future of communication. However, if you feel like you really are avoiding living your real life in preference for playing on Facebook in the middle of the night, then that would call for some real soul searching.