Facebook is only seven years old, but in that time the social networking site has 600 million users, or has connected one-eleventh of the world.
But are those users really friendly?
"It's a great way to stay connected, but I always figure that using your computer creates some sort of anti-social climate. I would think that one would neutralize the other," says Matthew Ryan, a member of Facebook.
Apparently so.
A new survey conducted by Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project has found that people with Facebook accounts have a higher degree of social well-being than those without, the LA Times reports.
The phone survey of 2,255 American adults discovered that Facebook users are more trusting of other people, according to the LA Times. They have larger numbers of close friends, and are more politically active.
Someone who logs into Facebook multiple times a day is 43% more likely than other Internet users to feel that most people can be trusted, the survey found as Reported by the LA Times. That's three times as likely as someone who does not use the Internet.
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And someone who visits the site multiple times a day is more likely to attend a political rally or meeting, and more likely to persuade someone to vote for a candidate, according to the LA Times.
Facebook dominates social networking sites in the Pew survey, as reported by the LA Times. 92% of users are on Facebook, 29% use Myspace, 18% use LinkedIn and 13% use Twitter.
"The only other social network I'm a part of right now is Twitter, and that is just more of a place to blanket your opinions or thoughts, or quotes. Whereas Facebook kind of had the whole package," according to Jen Giangregorio, Facebook member.
But not everyone is convinced that they need Facebook to be socially active.
"I go out. I meet people all the time. It doesn't mean I have to use the Facebook or Myspace to meet other people," says Emery Gajdos, who doesn't use Facebook.
