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Facebook Makes People Unhappy and Lonely


Still Waters

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Facebook, the social networking website was created to enhance global communication. However, it is now causing more loneliness and reducing satisfaction and happiness among users, according to a study conducted by researchers from the University of Michigan.

Researchers claimed that the site is having a negative impact on people's interactions and perception about oneself.

http://www.universit...onely-study.htm

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That was my view from day one. Sometimes non verbal messages tells more then verbal. Sometimes friend need hugh. And cousin needs to hear that she have good parfume.

Big Bad Voodoo

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Iv never used facebook, my family does but not me

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(From the article: "The researchers arrived at the conclusion after studying 82 young adults. Each of them had smart phones and Facebook accounts. They texted them at random times five times a day for two weeks. Each text message contained a link to an online survey with five questions:

How do you feel right now?

How worried are you right now?

How lonely do you feel right now?

How much have you used Facebook since the last time we asked?

How much have you interacted with other people "directly" since the last time we asked?"

82 is Pretty small sample size and I imagine being asked those questions 5 times a day for 2 weeks would make me dwell on the negative more than normal.

The research seems like it actually changed the results by attempting to measuring it.

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I find it comical how people will post on FB every little detail of their lives. For example:

Someone on my friends list posted how they woke up at 5:00am and ate breakfast. :sleepy:

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I've never had a Facebook account although some friends of mine do. I've never been tempted to join them, I've got no interest in letting the world know all about me, I like my privacy too much.

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I created one months back, but I'm not at all an active user. There are pros and cons to it. For example, it might help you keep in touch with a friend across the world if you can't call each other much because of different time zones. One of my friends from work explained that to me when I said I wasn't a big fan of facebook and I saw her point. Personally, I don't care to hear every detail about everybodys' daily life. And then when a friend sent out one of those, "Now I know who my real friends are..." message that was clearly directed at me, my reaction for FB was, "OK, Bye!" It can be for a good cause, but some people turn it into a soap opera too.

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Social media has completely skewed the definition of friend, and these replacement friends often don't know you or interact with you much at all other than liking a post you made, trolling you or passing you a rutabaga in Farmville (or whatever veg they use... I don't know). When all you can say to your friend is 150 character blurbs, which you don't even use actual words for, how fulfilling a relationship can it be?

I see SO many people describe someone saying, "Hi!" to you randomly or making a bit of small talk in the check-out line or whatever as creepy. Being nice and friendly is creepy now. But online someone sharing that they had eggs for breakfast or sex last night is not creepy, because they like your page?

Interpersonal relationships are screwed. Of course it's depressing.

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I've had an account since 2008 but rarely post anything.

I'm on it for the games really and although most games require "friends" to assist your progress, I think of these individuals as connections and don't need to share any personal info with them.

True, some Facebook users seem to be using it as some kind of public journal and it gets obnoxious sometimes. They might enjoy blogging but don't want to take the trouble to learn how to set one up. If I find it bothers me I just go to the settings mode and adjust their status removing them from my news feed.

It's not like you have no control over the input or output, using the privacy settings, you can post to a specific group or subgroup. Family, Close Friends, Guilds etc.

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I get very distraught when my wife posts a comment or picture and 42 people like it, but when I do it's 3. "What the hell?!?!" Same kinds of pictures and comments Rrrrrrrrrrr. Not good for my self esteem...

Now I just text her the picture and she posts it.

Edited by White Crane Feather
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The people criticising Facebook (and other social media sites) are the same kind of people who criticised the internet 20 years ago, or phones 100 years before that, or the printing press 500 years ago, the written word 5000 years ago, and, for all I know, spoken language itself half a million years ago (probably quite inarticulately, though).

Be proud to be a Philistine if you like, no one is forcing you not to be. Announce your resistance to change to all who will listen, and take satisfaction in doing so. It will make not a blind bit of difference.

Something else will come next, of course, and that's what's exciting about it.

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hm. cyber space is pretty cool... and i guess it's a form of social interaction ..? but while we're "HERE" we are alone? ..i mean, my wife is in the next room, and aside from all of you of course , i'm alone . So, basically, time spent in cyber space is time spent alone? I can see how it could be considered isolating.

Edited by lightly
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hm. cyber space is pretty cool... and i guess it's a form of social interaction ..? but while we're "HERE" we are alone? ..i mean, my wife is in the next room, and aside from all of you of course , i'm alone . So, basically, time spent in cyber space is time spent alone? I can see how it could be considered isolating.

This is getting off the FB subject but when you mentioned being alone but yet someone is present, I feel alone when someone is a few feet

away from me but texting on their cellphone.most of the time and very little verbal conversation. I see it everywhere. Don't get me wrong, I have

a cellphone myself but I don't feel compelled to be using it 24/7.

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I think all social media can be stressful and harmful, especially when one runs into bullies and similar types. Even disagreement can be stressful, and misunderstandings of humor and irony and sarcasm is so easy when all you have is print.

The anonymity of most social boards adds to that, much like the anonymity of being in a car can lead some to be rude when they would never be that way with people they know.

I nevertheless like being on boards of this sort. Even though sometimes I'm frustrated or angered or hurt by things I read, often also I am entertained or educated or uplifted. Just try (I'm talking mainly to myself) to take the bad things with a grain of salt.

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Never used facebook. Never will. As far as "social goes", UM is it for me.

Pretty much the same for me. Never used it, never wanted to. Listening to others talk about their experiences with FB, something about it seems unnatural, and 2 or 3 have had trouble becoming disconnected from it.

So many news stories these days involve youngsters bullying each other, sometimes with suicide being the result. Does the system encourage it? Don't know.

I prefer face-to-face for socializing, with or without alcohol. :tu:

Edited by Babe Ruth
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If I didn't use Facebook, I wouldn't have met dozens of great people, I wouldn't get invited to lots of events, and I wouldn't have found out how interesting (and sometimes dull) my friends are. I wouldn't have gotten encouragement to run marathons. I wouldn't have met a lost family member. I wouldn't get cute pictures of Grumpy Cat every week. I wouldn't have found people with similar interests all over the country. I'd be wasting my time checking web sites for information instead of having web sites send me information.

If Facebook makes you sad and lonely, you're using it wrong.

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If I didn't use Facebook, I wouldn't have met dozens of great people, I wouldn't get invited to lots of events, and I wouldn't have found out how interesting (and sometimes dull) my friends are. I wouldn't have gotten encouragement to run marathons. I wouldn't have met a lost family member. I wouldn't get cute pictures of Grumpy Cat every week. I wouldn't have found people with similar interests all over the country. I'd be wasting my time checking web sites for information instead of having web sites send me information.

If Facebook makes you sad and lonely, you're using it wrong.

The point as I understand it is that Facebook is meant to be an extension of socializing, not a replacement for socializing.

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The point as I understand it is that Facebook is meant to be an extension of socializing, not a replacement for socializing.

Facebook is not socializing. You just send and post messages and pictures. There's really not much to it.

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I coincidentally deleted my Facebook earlier today, finally.

I never experienced these symptoms, but it does make sense.

I'm glad I rid myself of it, and I can say I don't intend on using it again.

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Facebook can get boring. I only use it to share links

and talk to a few people i know on there.

But other than that I rather talk on message boards...

or facebook groups.

Well because those are the sites you can find people with similar interests etc.

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I like Facebook. I think it can make some people sad because they might feel like they are missing out when they look at other people's pictures and stuff.

If your addicted to Facebook thats a problem

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I like Facebook. I think it can make some people sad because they might feel like they are missing out when they look at other people's pictures and stuff.

If your addicted to Facebook thats a problem

I am aware of many people that are.

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I have a Facebook account that I've never used. I first got a lot of obviously undesirable pitches and a huge load of email from Facebook itself -- that I hadn't expected and didn't appreciate. I see no point when there are so many good message boards available and I have time for only one.

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