As grateful as I am to Mark but I think the "birth" of Facebook was a round of Russian roulette, it could have gone either way. I think his impact on humanity was more of an accident, a positive accident, which naturally happens one time in a million years. With this being said, no one (at least not me) is denying his giftedness.
Me: Hi, my name is Eugene, I'm a Face-oholic.
People: Hi Eugene.
Thankfully no one's liver has anything to suffer from. My socially-awkwardness has met this miracle a few years back and saved me for being socially dead. I don't like going to bars, nightclubs, I don't like big crowds at big concerts, I like enjoying my time at a good movie with my friends, or having them at my house and as stupid as it sounds, cook [for] them. Just kidding.
Facebook gave me a lot of [fake] friends, that if you look closely enough you'll a big haystack, from which, if you're lucky enough, you're going to find the needle, with whom you'll have long and weakly, sometimes boring and yet productive conversations.
Sometimes, for some people Facebook may be the life-support that they needed the like air until they get up on their feet and get on with their lives, it just waits for them, they don't have to rush anywhere.
For other people it may be the trampoline (if I used the right word) they much needed, for their businesses, for their successes in their affairs or simply to keep in touch with their long separated relatives.
Going back to what Facebook helped me achieve, I guess it helped me discover myself, add some new hobbies, some new interests, learn about interesting movies and music, and last but not the least, sharing it with the entire world. Through Facebook (and not only) I shaped my whole existence, my individuality, my personality. Through it I felt heard, I felt seen as much as I needed, in medium dosage.
There are pro and cons to everything and everyone, and for the first time in my life I try not to see the cons to what's (pathetically) keeping me alive and waits for me to get on with my life. "Cause maybe, who knows, maybe this is the place where I'll meet my future, but hey, that may happen only in fairy tales.
So, long story told short, this is my Facebook story. What is yours ?
How did Facebook affect you ?