Run a Google search on 'withering crops' and eight out of ten search results will have to do with Farmville on Facebook. Attracting over 80 million users worldwide, Farmville is now an agrarian wonderland to all of us who want to plant, share fuel, pick watermelons, buy and sell land — all this and more with a click of the mouse.

Pakistani suspect bomber Faisal Shahzad is also a huge fan of Farmville; a screenshot of his Facebook page has recently been uploaded on the internet, and many people are talking about how “Farmville perhaps inspires terrorism!”

This is no Farmville-Facebook bash - but things look slightly strange. Trying to give new meaning to an otherwise dull conversation with a colleague, I noticed how she broke into strange spells, typing away with her eyes fixated on the desktop. Our little chat, however, continued, albeit small (typing) breaks and thereafter, she showed me XYZ's -ZXY's-YXZ's wedding photos on Facebook. Perhaps I had bored the heck out of her already.

It is slightly strange but most of us do it. Most of us have Facebook windows minimised (sometimes not even that) at the workplace, and for those of us who have been victims of a firewall, well - we have managed to discover new ways to find our own and other people's profiles. Most of us refresh Facebook on Blackberries and iPhones at least twice in a day, and when our data services are not functional, it just doesn't seem right. Many of us already know what's going on in the lives of others we have not met in decades.

Concerned about her 'real' social life, a dear friend recently deactivated her Facebook account. “I'm tired of knowing too much. I found out about a childhood friend's engagement only because her online relationship status changed. When I visit the houses of second cousins and family friends, I already know what they have been doing this year — thanks to Facebook,” she explained. For some, Facebook has created new dimensions in both life and business. Speaking for myself, it's given me a fantastic opportunity to market a new magazine that I edit; most readers hit our website through story links shared on Facebook. The benefits of which, including being in touch with distant family, friends and information sharing, are countless. But psychologists have now come up with a term titled Facebook Addiction Disorder.

Facebook Addiction Disorder orbits around people who are escaping behind computer and cell phone screens too often, just as they retreat to alcohol and drugs — for reasons such as loneliness, boredom and idleness. Speaking for myself, I think I would have trouble giving up Facebook and Twitter, but does that make me an addict too?

It's important to examine our relationship with social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter. How many hours are we spending on Facebook in a week? Month? What does our Newsfeed look like? Are we sneaking around too much? Are we following the lives of people we haven't met in a long time? Are we stalking people, looking at profiles of people we don't know? How long are we logged in? But then — how long is too long? And how much is too much?

While the cyber world and its intensity has limited human interaction and made it more silent than ever, it has also skewed social relationships for many of us. I fail to understand the need for someone who never says hello to me in university, to send along a friend request. Perhaps, social media's definition of 'friendship' is different and it requires adjustment from my end. Maybe I am being too harsh, and just asking for the wrong kind of attention, from the wrong kind of readers.

With skewed social relationships, some of us are also living with exaggerated expectations and tainted digital visions. When I recently met my grandmother's sister after three years, she had been already told by her daughter that “I'm very photogenic.” The truth is that I haven't met her daughter in twelve or 15 years, but she is on my Facebook. The truth is also that my grandmother's sister perhaps imagined meeting a picture-perfect, flawless me.

Oftentimes, the day doesnt begin properly before a prediction by Aunt Anita or a fortune cookie from Mystic Meg, but the truth of the matter is that previously, the diversion pages of the newspaper provided similar opportunities. The horoscope, Sudoku and crossword. Today, these have been replaced by Farmville and Mafia Wars. So what?

Allowing us to customise and 'like' our interests, Facebook now provides regular updates from the pages we love to know more about. For instance, I'm constantly updated by TIME, LIFE, Espresso, Reader's Digest, Catchannel.com and MAC Cosmetics all at the same time. This constant, continuous connection with news stories and world affairs is thrilling, despite the news consumption overload in our daily lives. So is moderation the answer to our question?

I think we should all be worried. Or maybe just a little cautious. I won't be lying when I say that I logged on to Facebook at least twice while penning this article!