It was in eighth grade when I discovered the blue-bannered beauty that would provide me hours of entertainment.

It began with begging my dad to let me get one, which required him to turn off the parental controls on my new MacBook. It wasn’t easy, but he finally caved.

I typed in www.facebook.com , and for the first time, I was able to see what everyone was talking about. I began “friending” anyone I had ever talked to like it was my job. I was hooked, with almost 400 friends in one night.

This was possible because Facebook has the highest user percentage of all social media sites, which mean there is a good chance that most of your friends, your teachers, and maybe even your grandparents are getting connected.

It then became about the pictures friends were uploading, the videos they were leaving on each other’s walls, and which of my classmates were listed as “Facebook official.” With so much to look at, I can honestly say that between my Facebook life and my real life, there was never a dull moment.

I discovered one of the best perks of Facebook this September. The summer before, I had gone toIsraelwith people I had never met before. Some of them even lived out of the country. When we returned home, I was able to keep in touch with everybody.

With two of my closest friends live inIsrael, roughly eleven hours away, it was difficult to find a time to talk. Conveniently, Facebook provides a translation of their Hebrew posts, so I am able to understand what they’re posting about. For example, one of the boys who traveled with me on the trip lived inIsraelhis whole life and joined us this summer to give a perspective of the real culture of the whole country. He once posted “ום ראשון דיכאון :-(,” which to most of us at Staples means nothing but a bunch of scribbles and dots, but the translator informed me that he was saying “Sunday Depression :(.” Obviously, I don’t enjoy hearing that my friend isn’t happy, but it’s a Sunday and no matter where you are, no one likes Sundays. Just being able to catch a glimpse of someone’s daily life halfway around the world is pretty exciting and has allowed relationships to grow in ways that would not be possible if we couldn’t connect through Facebook.

My favorite aspect of Facebook, above all, is that it helps you preserve memories for years to come. While our parents and grandparents grew up taking their film to the photo shop to be developed and making scrapbooks, our virtual scrapbook is just a click away and can be accessed from anywhere with internet or WiFi connection.

When we were younger it used to be the “a thing” to take pictures before going to a concert; twelve girls making kissy faces sure looked great. Then there were pictures of hugging and laughing at the ice-skating rink or other sporting events. But the best type of pictures are PhotoBooth “selfies” with cute faces and peace signs, making these some of the most entertaining pictures on Facebook.

“I think Facebook is a really good way to connect with friends,” says Grace Bergonzi ’13, and most others agree.

For those who don’t, I question their sanity. Although I realize that Facebook can be a major distraction, there are applications you can download to limit your time spent on the website. To be honest I use these applications, but the fact that Facebook is time-consuming does not distract from the fact that it connects people in ways that would otherwise be impossible.