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Student dares others to quit Facebook for 30 daysBy Sonia El Bourynetworking sites.amount of time, but they wouldnt wantGRADE 12, Think you're not obsessed with tech-to give it a try. T. A. BLAKELOCK H.S.nology? Lets see. Could you walk out of Shocking?your house without your cell phones inWhile interviewing my fellow stu-o you remember life without cell phones? hand? dents, I began a conversation with aBefore BlackBerrys, iPhones and texting Could you last a couple of days with-female student in Grade 10 and this isDexisted? out checking your e-mails or loggingwhat she had to say, I think its ridicu-Can you imagine a world without Facebook? onto Facebook? lous how teens have become so obsessedTwitter?Go to an event without your digitalover Facebook and other social network-One can only imagine. cameras to take pictures that will at someing sites. Lets face it, we, as a society, have become obsessed point end up on Facebook?If I were to be asked to delete Facebookwith technology.According to Facebook statistics, therefor 30 days I don't feel as if Id find it dif-Generation Y, also commonly known as the Digital are more than 500 million active usersficult at all, I mean, I think I could findGeneration or the Echo Boomers, have become the who spend a total of 700 billion minutesother things to do with my time.prime users of these gadgets and of various social per month on Facebook. I dont think Im obsessed or any-Not only that, there are more than thing. Id do it today if I wanted to.200 million active users currently Irony? She was on her laptop, chattingCITIZENSHIP TEST PREPARATIONaccessing Facebook through their on Facebook, while telling me this.Learn All About Canadamobile devices, who are twice as active According to Statistics Canada, 50 per*No ChargeFacebook, so I conducted a survey at than non-mobile users. cent of Facebook users log onto Facebook4 SATURDAY CLASSESThomas A. Blakelock High School. Have I convinced you yet?at any given time. 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.I asked the same, two-part question, Its funny how a couple of years ago Mark Zuckerberg is probably laughingto a broad range of students from Grades FEBRUARY 5, 12, 26 & MARCH 5, 2011none of that existed, and yet, now, we all the way to the bank right now.Adult Learning Centre.171 Speers Rd., Oakville9 to 12.cant imagine our lives without it. But its not just Facebook, what aboutClienThe question was: If you were asked to ts must bring proof of immigrationNow, logging on to your Facebook Twitter?- I.E. Permanent Resident Cardstop using Facebook for 30 days, could and Twitter account is as natural as Cell phones and texting? you do it? And would you want to do it? brushing your teeth in the morning. We wonder how weve survived in theREGISTER NOWResults?Take me for instance, I logged onto past without all these technologies. (905) 849-7555 ext. 223An overwhelming 85 per cent of stu-Facebook at least five times while writ-But we have, and we still can.dents felt that they would not be able to, ing this article. Think you can handle becomingwhile 15 per cent felt they would have no I wanted to see how obsessed my Facebook-free for 30 days? problem staying off Facebook for an school was when it came to using I dare you.www.insideHALTON.com OAKVILLE BEAVER Friday, February 4, 2011 18