I don't think we've had a class where we haven't brought up social media, particularly Facebook. It doesn't matter whether we're talking about Foucault or Malcolm X. So I’ve been thinking a lot about Facebook (and social media in general). Yesterday, I found an interesting article on depression. The article gave a list of unlikely causes of depression, and one of the causes on the list was "Facebook overload". Of course, this one stood out to me. Facebook overload is exactly what it sounds like: it's a term for people who spend a lot of time on social network sites like Facebook (but not just Facebook). So what do you think of Facebook overload? Are you surprised that some people have linked it to depression?
I am not all surprised that people have linked Facebook overload to depression. I can’t say that Facebook has made me depressed, but I have had to take a break from it on occasion because I find myself becoming envious of people’s lovely vacations and new houses. Social networking sites, blogs, all of this communication technology in general allows people to present themselves exactly how they would like others to see them. People are able to share select aspects of their lives, many times creating a false reality for readers. Communication technology can be as dangerous as it is marvelous.
ReplyDeleteSomeone sarcastically said one time that Facebook is great for stalking your ex's and seeing how better off you are than them. There are times I agree with that.
ReplyDeleteI think what really gets me are what people write on Facebook. Some of my friends... if you didn't know them in real life and only judged them based on what they put up on Facebook? Good grief! I don't know if that's how they want people to to see themselves, but it's still an interesting narrative.
While the concept is pretty terrifying, I'm not really surprised that this "disorder" exists. I think all of us have someone on our newsfeed that acts like their only purpose is to post about everything they are doing. Like, literally everything. I think, to go a little deeper into the psychology of Facebook, that what these people are victims of is classical conditioning. They initiate this behavior and then are rewarded with "likes" and comments. This only makes them want to do it more to get these little bits of digital verification. It becomes a habit in a way, and anybody who has had bad habits that they want to break knows how fruitless the exercise is.
ReplyDeleteEventually these people, after having subsisted off the verification of their peers, get worn out. I don't mean physically, but their constant barrage of info becomes dull and no longer "like"-worthy. It's no surprise that when the verification runs low, the initiator feels significantly more lonely. I guess that's where the depression comes in. It's a sad situation, but I suppose its just one of the consequence of the information age.
-David Morgan
I am not surprised by this finding. I have actually been feeling pretty left out and sad lately because all the young women I am friends with on Facebook are mothers or are having babies. I wonder when I am going to have kids or if I'll ever have kids. That's when I realized that I have to focus on my reality. I am not ready to be a mother, so why do I care about all these other women having kids. It's the side effect of staring at a computer screen too long. And I already know I don't go outside enough, so of course it's easy for something like Facebook to get me down. Thankfully I am not suffering from overload, but I can see how that can happen.
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