It’s true that Facebook became popular as a website to connect with friends and old peers for fun, but Facebook has evolved a lot and in many ways since it was created. Now Facebook and other social media has become a popular way to plan and advertise events and keep in touch with peers. People (usually parents), who do not use social media this way tend not to understand the different ways high schoolers take advantage of the internet.
For one thing, all most all of the clubs at MHS have a group page that the club uses to keep in touch with all of the members and inform members about what they need to know. Club officers often have groups too, so they can plan and keep in touch even if their schedules conflict.
Facebook groups for classes are common, too. Class groups have become the best way to find out if a class has been assigned homework or to ask for help if someone does not know how to do something. Facebook has become a better source of information than Schoolloop.
As for events, most big events have and event page on Facebook run by the people in charge of the event. The Facebook is typically one of the biggest ways to tell a large audience about an event and share all of the relevant information in one easy-to-find location.
However, I’m not trying to say that Facebook completely become all work and no play. Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter are all some of the biggest ways high schoolers distract themselves from getting work done. Many students procrastinate by checking up on what their friends have been doing, by watching funny videos, or by entertaining themselves in other ways on social media.
The point is that Facebook and social networks in general have become much more useful in practical ways. Somehow, social networking has become a complex combination of recreation, communication, and work. The internet and social networking will probably only expand to be practical in more ways in the near future.
