Introduction

Facebook is the largest social networking website in the world. It is operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. Currently, Facebook boasts over 400 million users worldwide, with over 70% of those users in countries other than the US. (Facebook, 2010) It earned a spot on Entertainment Weekly’s end-of-the-decade best-of list. Compete.com ranked Facebook as the most popular social networking site by worldwide active users in January of 2009. Facebook is a major outlet for users to connect with their friends and peers; sharing information, news, and photos to other users all across the globe. Looking at the background, personal benefits, and potential downsides of Facebook, it is very clear that Facebook has affected the very way in which many people in the US and the world interact socially, whether it has been beneficial or detrimental.