Feb. 15, 2005

Exploring the Phenomenon of Facebook

By Julia Jacobelli

Walk past a classroom on any given day as class is letting out and odds are you’ll hear these now familiar words: “Are you on facebook?”

Facebook, or thefacebook.com, is emerging as the most popular form of contacting friends and meeting other students at GW. The online directory is open to undergraduates, graduate students, and alumni. A student can log on to the site and create a profile for free. Once the information is logged into the site, students are connected to all of the other members who have created facebook profiles from all of the schools in the country who sponsor facebook.

A facebook profile can consist of a number of facts about the student. Perhaps most important is the picture, which is displayed, along with the student’s name and the university they attend, to anyone searching through the directory. In the complete profile, students can choose to include their address, E-mail address, AOL screen name, cell phone number, class schedule, relationship status, major, and any other personal interests, including favorite books, movies, and music. Once students have entered their information, they can identify interests such as a favorite movie, and facebook will immediately direct them to a list of other students at their university who have entered the same interest. Complete profiles are only available to students at the same university.

The purpose of facebook is to connect with other students. Once students look up the names of people they know, it is possible to request to add those names to their list of friends. Students can befriend anyone who is a member of facebook, from any of the connected schools in the country.

The friend lists are a source of friendly competition among students. Most will confirm anyone who requests to be their friend, even if they are not familiar with the person requesting, simply because a friend confirmation will add to their list.

Facebook was launched to the public Feb. 4, 2004. It was started by a sophomore from Harvard who was frustrated by his difficulty making acquaintances. Facebook quickly spread to other universities in the area; today nearly 300 schools and 1,631,000 people are connected. GW joined the network Aug. 21, 2004, and since then users have grown to number more than 9,000.

Facebook can also act almost as a message service. Students can send each other messages, or write quotes or anecdotes on each other’s walls. It is a convenient and quick way to get in touch with one another.

Not everyone sees facebook as a positive site, however. One student referred to the site as “stalker.com.” It is true that once connected, anyone at the university can read what students have included in their profile, and anyone connected to the facebook can view their picture and the university they attend.

“Some guy from the University of Illinois befriended me yesterday,” said Jaclyn Lee, a sophomore, CCAS, “I’ve never seen him before.”

When asked if the random friend requests were incentive not to be a part of facebook anymore, however, she said that they were not.

“It’s a great way to be connected to other people,” she said.

Send feedback to: bygeorge@gwu.edu