HERAT -- It is 8:00 a.m. and the owner of an Internet café is just opening up. Right after he opens the door, people rush to the computers and start opening web pages. Many people come and stay until late at night, because this café has fast Internet.

There are 14 desks installed computers, almost all of them occupied by young boys and girls. Desk Number Four has a permanent user, 16-year-old Ahmad Suhial Farhang. When he first started coming to the café he would spend an hour, but now he sits there all day. Most of the time he spends his time on his Facebook account.

Ahmad comes early in the morning and leaves only when the owner locks up the café at night. By the end of the day he looks tired, his eyes puffy from concentrating on the computer screen all day.

Internet cafes in Herat are very busy these days, with some people having to wait in line for hours to gain access to a computer.

“Many young boys and girls signed up for Facebook several months ago,” said Hamid Mayar, the owner of the Lamer internet café. “They spend several hours in the net cafes using Facebook, contacting their friends and exchanging ideas.” 

Afghanistan has joined the world community of Facebook users, with more and more young people signing up.

Facebook users include politicians, parliamentarians, teachers, students, men and women.  They share ideas, photos, video clips, and other forms of entertainment.

“The younger generation, both boys and girls, are spending too much time in Internet cafes at the expense of the studies.” said Ismaeel Tasmim, a sociologist in Kabul.

More than 6 million people in the world are using Facebook now.

“Facebook has provided a wide range facilities for its users,” said Mayar, of the Lamer café, “finding friends throughout the world, exchanging ideas, accessing various types of information, and on-line games are some of the facilities Facebook provides for its users.”

Some are wondering whether Facebook is becoming an addiction. There are young people who spend eight hours or more every day on their Facebook account.

“It is not true that only drugs, cigarettes, or alcohol can be subjects of addiction,” said Jalil ahmad Towakoli, a Herat-based psychologist. “Addiction has changed now and people use different means of passing the time. Excessive use of anything can be an addiction.”

But young people like Ahmad say that they enjoy access to other people’s personal information.

“I like seeing photos, videos, and other materials of Facebook users,” he said.  “I never get tired of it.”

Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Facebook, believes that his creation can cause people to change their approach to social networking. They no longer want to hide their personal information, instead sharing their photos and other information with their friends through Facebook.

“Access to Facebook can give useful information,” added Towakoli. “Any new phenomenon in the field of technology has its positive and negative effects but the important point is how to use it positively.”

According to Towakali, sharing personal information can be negative, due to security reasons. “We should not make friends with those whom we do not know,” he said.

But Ahmad has made new friends through his Facebook account, and now shares information with people in India, the United States and several other countries.