Though it has more than 47 million active users, some students still have not joined the Facebook frenzy.

The Web site, which is the top photo-sharing application on the Internet, is also the sixth most trafficked site in the U.S., according to Facebook.com.

There are currently 26,496 NIU users, according to the site.
Kerry Jirus, a junior nursing major, does not use Facebook because she finds
the Web site to be unnecessary.

“I just don’t feel the need to have a Facebook,” Jirus said. “I have a Yahoo account, and I rarely use that.”

Some Facebook users said that they tend to find themselves signing on to Facebook instead of doing homework. This distraction is another reason Jirus stays away from the site, she said.

“I don’t want to spend time creating an account when I can get other things done,” Jirus said.

Carmella Mahaz, a junior business management major, created a Facebook account her freshman year, but deactivated it this past August.

“Facebook tore me and my ex-boyfriend apart,” Mahaz said. “It causes too much drama.”

According to Facebook’s engagement statistics, users spend an average of 20 minutes on the site daily.

With more than 14 million photos uploaded every day and 100 new applications added per day, Facebook can become addicting for some users.

“I hated waking up, coming home from class or work and constantly feeling the need to check Facebook,” Mahaz said.

Among the six million groups on the site, some are used as petitions to convince non-users to join Facebook.

“If I don’t eventually make one, my friends want to make one for me, which is kind of scary,” Jirus said.

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