#Facebook - should we resist it?

Facebook is a modern phenomenon and of course used by millions - billions of people. Clearly it is an attractive social tool and brings pleasure and happiness to many. It is a positive thing in their lives. But like many others I feel uneasy about it because there are possible down sides too.

I find myself in a simple dilemma. Should I join the flow or not. Do the benefits outweigh the negatives. Am I happy to participate in the knowledge that the more that do the stronger the Facebook culture will become. Clearly Facebook is an easy and effective way to stay in contact, to see what friends and family are up to - to take a positive interest in other peoples lives. To be proactive and supportive.To be engaged. But - is there not a case to argue that Facebook is becoming too significant - too pervasive - too significant in peoples lives to be healthy. Isn't Facebook almost becoming a lifestyle? Is it fundamentally shallow? Will I be happy for instance that my young grandchildren and other peoples grandchildren are likely to find their way to it sooner rather than later.To date I have resisted it - but not without a little hypocrisy!

So why the hypocrisy? Well the brutal truth - we are all susceptible to lets say a natural curiosity (some might see it in more negative terms - an interest in gossip.) It is natural too and not a bad thing - that we want to communicate good news - to show our holiday snaps or enjoyable occasion.This seems to be the Facebook draw and hard to resist.

However clearer headed thoughts - more significant reasons why society collectively and individually should consider more seriously the down side of Facebook (extracted from Wiki).

Envy

Facebook has been criticized for making people envious and unhappy due to the constant exposure to positive yet unrepresentative highlights of their peers. Such highlights include, but are not limited to, wall posts, videos, and photos that depict or reference such positive or otherwise outstanding activities, experiences, and facts. This effect is caused mainly by the fact that most users of Facebook usually only display the positive aspects of their lives while excluding the negative, Sites such as AddictionInfo.org state that this kind of envy has profound effects on other aspects of life and can lead to severe depression, self-loathing, rage and hatred, resentment, feelings of inferiority and insecurity, pessimism, suicidal tendencies and desires, social isolation, and other issues that can prove very serious. This condition has often been called "Facebook Envy" or "Facebook Depression" by the media.

A joint study conducted by two German universities demonstrated Facebook envy and found that as many as one out of three people actually feel worse and less satisfied with their lives after visiting the site. Vacation photos were found to be the most common source of feelings of resentment and jealousy. After that, social interaction was the second biggest cause of envy, as Facebook users compare the number of birthday greetings, likes, and comments to those of their friends. Visitors who contributed the least tended to feel the worst. "According to our findings, passive following triggers invidious emotions, with users mainly envying happiness of others, the way others spend their vacations; and socialize," the study states.

A 2013 study found that the more people used Facebook, the worse they felt afterwards.

Stress

Research performed by psychologists from Edinburgh Napier University indicated that Facebook adds stress to users' lives. Causes of stress included fear of missing important social information, fear of offending contacts, discomfort or guilt from rejecting user requests or deleting unwanted contacts or being unfriended or blocked by Facebook friends or other users, the displeasure of having friend requests rejected or ignored, the pressure to be entertaining, criticism or intimidation from other Facebook users, and having to use appropriate etiquette for different types of friends. Many people who started using Facebook for positive purposes or with positive expectations have found that the website has negatively impacted their lives.

PS I also add :-

Privacy - this well documented. Data mining, Face tagging, Inability to terminate. Friend of a Friend. Targeted marketing. Employment referencing. Security risk etc etc I think we understand these risks and are not too worried about them - (although perhaps we should be more than we are.)

I shall try in future not to be hypocrite and decide once and for all whether to be a user or not - ha!