At the risk of being seen as that guy who lost touch with his own generation, I am going to publicly denounce social networking.

Admittedly, Facebook has at times taken over my life, but why? After all, in the grand scheme of things the ability to see status updates from people I could just as easily speak to feels more like an advocate for being anti-social. Facebook provides numerous applications which people can use to interact with one another-genius, right?

I’m not so sure. Why should I care about somebody milking an imaginary cow on 'Farmville'? Perhaps I’m being hypocritical as I regularly find myself clicking on people’s imaginary farms like some sort of social-networking fiend. Social-networking seems to have taken a role as an alternative for human interaction, a very profitable role I must add, but one that could be damaging to future generations.

Facebook was once valued at £10.4 billion, has 150 million active users and according to The Guardian makes around £147 million a year on advertising in the U.S. alone. Not bad considering Facebook was made by a guy (Mark Zuckerberg) on a PC from his college dormitory. Zuckerberg, a student at Harvard, originally created Facebook as ‘Facesmash’ after being dumped by his girlfriend. Facesmash was a service available over the Harvard network and according to The Harvard Crimson "Used photos compiled from the facebook accounts of nine houses, placing two next to each other at a time and asking users to choose the 'hotter' person." Essentially the conception of Facebook was made out of spite and with a format that glorified bullying. Music to the ears of concerned 'Daily Mail' readers I’m sure, but maybe they have a point.  

Emma-Jane Cross, chief executive of Beatbullying, told the Daily Mail: "Cyber bullying is a growing problem affecting millions of children across the UK." When you consider that just recently 18 year old Keeley Houghton became the first person to be jailed for Facebook bullying after posting continuous death threats to a classmate, it is hard to argue with Mrs Cross’s statement.

However, Facebook is undoubtedly a brand that has its positives too. The service has allowed millions of people to re-connect with one another after losing touch and is useful for sharing photographs with loved ones, but do the negatives outweigh the positives? For every couple who have met through Facebook, there is a another couple arguing on Facebook with a war of suggestive photos and bitchy status updates.

I think we have passed the point of no return with social networking. Facebook in particular has somehow managed to convince the masses of its divine purpose. And with acclaimed director David Fincher (Seven, Benjamin Button) ready to direct a film about Zuckerberg’s story, it looks like Facebook’s grip over popular culture is set to continue.