It’s pretty safe to say that Facebook has been the headline of this generation. With this social media service being launched in 2004 and continuing for 12 successful years now, it seems like there is no going back. I mean, how could it? You're able to see somebody from Africa is eating at 3 a.m. a night while sitting all the way in China. It truly diminishes the barriers of “distance” between people. But I always notice that it's only the generation of millennials who are specifically entitled as the most excessive users of Facebook. Every other day there are articles or researches being published about how this generation “wastes” half or even more of their day using social media. I've also read tons of articles online where they state how it's turning into a type of addiction to use Facebook and this is turning their sleep cycle upside down. Lack of sleep and weird sleep cycles are damaging the brain and eventually making the millennials officially the "dumb" generation. Not to forget, it is also disrupting the traditional method of communication in reality where people actually compliment each other in person instead of posting a comment like, "Awe, you're so adorable!"

Okay, wait now. Maybe I cannot completely disagree with all these theories that have been formulated. But I do disagree that it’s only the millennials doing so. I mean, almost 20 percent of my friend list itself consists of my parents’ friends, cousins from different generations, parents of my friends and many more “older” people. Basically, it also has Gen X people, Gen Y people and even Baby Boomers. For those who are not familiar with the terms, Generation X are the people born from the early 1960's until 1970's, Generation Y are those born in the 1980's and 1990's and Baby Boomers are people who were born following World War Two. As astonishing as the definitions might sound, it is pretty common nowadays for a grandma to have a Facebook profile. While many may think that is weird, I personally consider it such an amazing technological advancement of the decade. I mean, why should the amazing power of networking over the internet be limited to age boundaries? Everybody, people of all ages, should grasp this privilege that our dear Mr. Zuckerberg's been trying to provide.

Now, I am sure a lot of you out there can relate to a personal situation I am about to share. I left home in Bangladesh to pursue my undergraduate education in New York last year. I was only 19 at that time and insanely attached to my family (still am). Even the thought of sleeping in a different house from my mother used to frighten me. But over time, I adjusted and the distance did not feel as bad and Facebook has a big hand behind that. My mother and father have Facebook profiles and that’s how I could see their pictures everyday. I was able to see what events they were up to, with the rest of my family members. Memories would pop up every other day where we could re-brush and cherish some beautiful moments from the past together. The ridiculous time difference is so much that the time I would go to sleep at night is when my parents would wake up for breakfast. Topping that with classes everyday and work schedules, it would only be possible to probably make a short phone call everyday. But throughout the day, the phones in our hands or bags would allow us to what we’ve been doing or about to do. This creates a sense of connectivity which overruns the homesickness that I often feel.

And it’s not only about staying connected. I’ve noticed how receiving likes and posting pictures actually makes this certain group of people “happy.” They are new to this social media platform and it absolutely amazes them how their appearance and activities are being acknowledged and being appreciated by a high number of people all at once! I find this new sensation extremely adorable and I am really glad that such a huge population of those certain generations, who are probably away from their kids now, are being able to connect with everyone without feeling lonely and are happily enjoying their presence on the internet. After all, there’s no place we’d rather be, right?