“Sorry I can’t come to your 21st. On Facebook that night.”

Not many will admit to declining an invite to a night out just so they can stay home with a nice movie. And some very intense Facebook stalking.

But we’ve all done this at least once.

Based on statistics from Ebizmba, Facebook’s unique monthly users for October alone are estimated to be 700,000,000. That’s 700 MILLION. That’s almost the entire population of Europe. Or 10 Bulgarias.

Facebookers are said to check their account at least once a day. If Mark Zuckabacka… Zuckebuck… whatever, were to get 1 cent from every user log in for one month, he’d probably be a billionaire.

Next time you feel like smacking around the smart little Jewish kid in school, just remember that guy from that movie about that social networking site. He has enough money to provide every starving child in Africa with access to a device that can frequently update their Facebook status. We live in such developed times. So much so, that we don’t even have to leave our desks to catch up with friends, gossip, find love, or even stalk people. Ah, Mark Zuckerbaracka, you’ve truly done the world a favour!

Or have you? In 1968, American artist Andy Warhol predicted that, “In the future, everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes.” Eleven years later, Warhol added, “...my prediction from the 60s finally came true.” What would Warhol think of Facebook, which has the potential to catapult anyone from zero to hero in a matter of seconds? Or even YouTube. And Twitter! Surely these ridiculously popular social networking sites weren’t what Warhol had in mind? If so, this sucks! If my 15 minutes of fame are going to be a status I wrote about Oprah looking like Yoda, then this well and truly sucks. Perhaps we should have read the terms and conditions of Warhol’s prediction before we got too excited.

With the ever-increasing popularity of such sites, Warhol’s 15 minutes might soon be turning into 15 seconds. The limelight is getting smaller while the fame-seekers are multiplying by the bazillions.

No, leave the Brazilians out of this.

Facebook itself provides the environment for one to feel… special. Admired. Wanted. Popular. Ah, popularity and fame. They go hand in hand, right? Do they? Not if you ask that girl that sings about Fridays.

The social network allows the user to indulgingly emphasize self-importance. If users fill out all the sections on the profile, everyone who has access to this profile will know everything about the user. Just like we know almost everything there is to know about celebrities. Whether we like it or not.

Even if Facebook breeds a new generation of stalkers and self-obsessed circus monkeys,

for most it’s simply a way to stay connected with friends and family when physical means aren’t possible/desired. It helps the shyer folk come out of their shell, and even encourages the older generations to be more interactive with new technology. And that’s exactly what we want. Old people using technology.

I think my 15 minutes is up.

Check out some fun facts about Facebook. Did you know that Al Pacino’s face was on the original Facebook homepage?