Facebook or The Book of Faces?

Humans are social beings and we are constantly trying to connect with one another and the world. We all have an inherent desire to identify with others while also perusing our own identity. In a world of social media this journey turns into somewhat of a catch 22. Facebook has allowed us to link up with millions of other people while simultaneously broadcasting the person we would like others to perceive as our own true self. The catch to this modern “in-touch” luxury becomes apparent when the friendships we have on Facebook become our means to social interaction and the identity we are trying to find feels the relentless need to compare and compete with the perceptions we have of others.  

Various studies have been conducted to find the psychological effects that Facebook can have on individuals. Edinburgh Napier Universityconducted one of these studies and their findings showed that the reason the majority of people give as to why they use Facebook was to stay in touch with people. However the results of the study concluded the negative effects of Facebook were much greater than the benefits received of staying in touch. People want so badly to connect and feel a part of something that they are willing to take on the negative effects that Facebook brings to their mentality.

I think many people at some point or another have said, whether they meant it or not, that they were going to deactivate their Facebook. Some even follow through. I’ll admit that last year I decided to deactivate my Facebook with hopes that maybe I could be without it long enough to no longer want to reactivate. But I was overly ambitious in this goal and found that once you have Facebook it is hard to get rid of it. I realized that most of the organizations or friends groups I was a part of communicate and plan events through Facebook. I also had no way of connecting with friends I had made overseas because I didn’t have their numbers, addresses or e-mails. I felt out of the loop. The crazy thing though is that I enjoyed not having it – I had more time on my hands because I didn’t get sucked in looking through friends new photo albums. But the point came when I reactivated, and my excuse: “I wanted to stay in touch with friends and family.”

            The Edinburg Napier University study stated, “But many also told us they were anxious about withdrawing from the site for fear of missing important social information or offending contacts. Like gambling, Facebook keeps users in a neurotic limbo, not knowing whether they should hang on in there just in case they miss out on something good.”

            However in actuality Facebook fosters unhealthy relationships. It’s a total cop out to say that you are using it to truly stay in touch with people. You could pick up your phone and call an old friend or grab lunch with someone to catch up with them on what they did over spring break instead of stalking their picture and “finding out for ourselves.” We know things about people before they can tell us (creepy? Yea…kind of) but more so just sad because we loose the real face-to-face interaction that humans need.

            Facebook has also been found as a factor leading people towards depression. We see others having fun in pictures and feel that our lives are not nearly as entertaining. We start to compare ourselves to others without realizing that people obviously are not going to post their everyday life actions – like watching TV, or studying – but will post pictures of their most exciting moments of their week. Other feelings boil up as well as a result of Facebook.

            Dr Charles from Edinburg Napier University said, “The other responses we got in focus groups and one-to-one interviews suggests that the survey figures actually under represent aspects of stress and anxiety felt by some Facebook users, whether it’s through feelings of exclusion, pressure to be entertaining, paranoia or envy of others’ lifestyles.”

            So be wary of your relationship with your Facebook and realize that the aspect of reality that goes along with it is minimal. Social networking is a great tool to connect with others and of course to stay in touch with distant friends, but we should be more inclined to connect in other ways as well as to not allow Facebook to be our only means of communication.