While looking at Facebook, I have noticed that the majority of people have many more “Facebook friends” than the people they talk to in real life. Facebook has changed many lives because it has allowed people to connect with others that they may never have talked to in real life, or may never have been able to find otherwise. I believe Facebook has positively impacted the lives of high school and college students because it has increased their communication skills with others and possibly even built their friendship circle. Sometimes, we as humans have a natural fear of being judged by people we do not know. This means that we don’t always take opportunities to talk to new people face-to-face like we would like to because of this social anxiety. I believe Facebook has been a wonderful way to connect people to others that they may have never spoken to in person because they were afraid of being judged. When you’re behind a computer you are less likely to feel threatened by starting a conversation with someone new, because if it goes bad or gets awkward you can always hit the “x” at the top of the screen and pretend the conversation never started. Many people have hundreds of Facebook friends when in real life they may only talk to a fourth of those people face-to-face. They may not be close with the other three-fourths, but it’s still a step in the right direction when it comes to talking with new people. Facebook gives students the opportunity to find people you may not know how to reach in other ways. For example, a friend I met through another friend a while back recently added me on Facebook. I didn’t have her number, address, or any mutual friends with her anymore. When she added me on Facebook, it gave me the opportunity to connect with her again. I might not have ever had this opportunity if it weren’t for the wonderful world of social networking! Facebook allows you to look up people by their names, locations, or schools, which gives you the opportunity to find them easier than using other websites. Facebook has had a huge impact on lives everywhere because it not only allows us to connect with friends and family, but it gives us a way to find out information about other peoples lives. This could be a good thing or a bad thing, but either way because of Facebook we usually know more than we would like to know about anyone on our friends list. For example, Facebook lets us know when a friend has a birthday. This is helpful because it’s hard to keep track of every friend’s birthday, so incase you forget or don’t know, Facebook can remind you to go out and buy a card or gift for a friend! Another example of how Facebook allows us to find information, is it allows people to post statuses saying where they are, what they’re doing, and who they’re doing it with. This can once again be good or bad, but definitely helpful if you’re trying to find or get in touch with a friend. Whether positive or negative, Facebook has definitely had a huge impact on lives everywhere. It has allowed us to reconnect with others, make new friends, find information, and let everyone know how we’re doing and what we’re up to. I believe that overall, Facebook has impacted college and high school students in a more positive than negative way. It has given students courage to talk to and meet others that they may have never spoken to if it weren’t for the website. In my eyes, the more friends we can make and keep in touch with, the better off we are!