You meet someone cute at a party but are too shy to ask for his or her number.
Dashing home, you log onto the Facebook and within seconds know his or her hometown, relationship status, interests, favorite music, major, screen name and birthday.
You can flirt with your crush by a poke, update their wall, send them a message. All without exchanging a word.
October marks a year since Fairfield joined approximately 800 colleges and universities across the nation in the Facebook phenomenon.
For most Fairfield students, www.thefacebook.com is a website visited at least as frequently as StagWeb. From party invites to groups that include “Against Popped Collars,” the Facebook has something for everyone.
Although it can be useful to track down a best friend who moved to Florida in second grade, the Facebook has infiltrated itself into everyday college life and is as much a part of students’ routine as papers and pizza.
During its early months, the Facebook had many students addicted to friend searching and profile updating, and even prompted complaints from professors that it was taking time away from work.
Friend invites flew back and forth, as members tried to win the popularity contest with the highest number of friends.
Nicole Williams ’06, an R.A. in Regis last year, commented on the initial Facebook fixation.
“I don’t know what the obsession is. My residents were glued to Facebook,” she said.
Now almost a year later, the Facebook craze has not gone away and is still thriving.
Before the school year had even begun, over 250 incoming freshmen at Fairfield had already signed up for Facebook.
The Fairfield Improv Group even mocked the new members in one of their skits during Orientation, making jokes out of real profiles of the Class of ’09 printed off Facebook.
Not everyone has fed into the Facebook fad.
Chrystie Cruz’07 is one of the few who have not created an account.
Some students feel that those who spend an excessive amount of time on the Facebook sacrifice the opportunity to join extracurricular groups and clubs.
“When people are involved in other things, they don’t have time for that [Faccebook],” Cruz added.
Although the Facebook access is restricted to users with a college e-mail address, concerns about safety and privacy exist.
Many college alumni can obtain e-mail addresses from their alma maters, and breaking into the site is feasible. Students who post their cell phone numbers, pictures, screen name and other personal information are risking privacy, although they may feel safe in the Facebook community.
Mark Reed, dean of students, cautions students about the freedom of information the site provides.
“I know that students post things they shouldn’t,” he said. “Don’t post anything you wouldn’t want your mother, potential employer, or grandmother to see probably is a good standard some students should consider.”
Despite the gripes and risks, most students continue to log in daily to the website.
They are willing to consider the positives of the Facebook in spite of its potential dangers.
“It’s interesting how you can be so connected to people,” said Jocelyn Collen ’06, who added that “the birthday reminder is always useful.”
For a generation for whom information has almost always been a click away, it is no surprise how popular the Facebook and the expanse of information it provides has become.
As Collen pointed out, the Facebook is not an oddity in today’s technology-oriented world.
“Personally I think it’s like AIM on crack,” she said.
Reed agrees that Facebook is another example of the fast-paced world college students live in.
“It seems today that students have so many more instantaneous ways to communicate than before,” he said. “However, I don’t see that it makes things better necessarily.”
Only time will tell how long friendship will be measured by an invite and exchanging messages will replace old-fashioned talking.
In the meantime, the phrase “Facebook me!” will continue to be a common phrase heard at Fairfield,as it is at so many other campuses across the country.
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