 |
| Google Images (2014) |
Like the
majority of people in this country, or so I imagine, I have a Facebook page,
where I sometimes post my thoughts on various topics, though I’m sure that most
of my Facebook “Friends’ would prefer that I kept them to myself. I also
occasionally upload photos, usually of myself, my overweight cat, Bug; and/or
wine bottles, since I like wine; and I also sometimes share what I’ve been doing.
Of course, what I’ve been doing is usually something boring like painting my toe
nails, or at least trying to paint them since I can’t see my toe nails anymore even
when wearing my new prescription glasses (I simply dab nail polish in their general direction
and hope some of it lands where it should); or mowing the lawn in the godawful
Louisiana heat; or maybe going shopping for groceries at Walmart. But then, unlike
that of most of my Facebook Friends, my life is pretty darn boring.
And that brings
me to the point of this blog post: Facebook is making us unhappy.
Perhaps it’s
because I’m an avid reader, or maybe it’s because I’m an educator, or I could
simply be nosy, but I enjoy conducting research and learning things. One thing I learned not too long ago is that Facebook is making us sad. Yes,
that’s right. Because of Facebook, we are becoming increasingly unhappy. Why? Well,
it’s because via our Facebook interaction we are privy to other people’s lives, and by being privy to others' lives, we eventually come to realize
just how pathetic our own lives are in comparison.
What? You don't belief me? Well, here's proof:
Studies have
shown that social networking sites like Facebook are contributing to a growing sense
of self-dissatisfaction in individuals
(Coleman, 2011), and though younger people are more easily influenced, older people
are affected as well.
Apparently, as
per the studies, we read other people’s postings about what they’re doing, which are often exaggerations or out-and-out lies,
and we see photos (most likely Photo-Shopped) of them, as well as their kids, pets, homes,
exotic vacations, etc., after which we do some comparing and end up feeling inferior.
After all, our lives are boring in comparison to theirs, our kids are juvenile delinquents,
our pets have fleas, our homes are in a constant state of disrepair, and the
most exotic vacation we’ve taken in 10 years was when we drove five miles from
the house to play three rounds of miniature golf.
The consensus of
the studies is that—Big Surprise—social networking sites like Facebook (number
one for social interaction) are making us sad because they are all about "ME". People are in effect saying, “Look at ME! Look
at how glamorous I am! Look at my perfect kids and perfect pets! Look at my
nice house and fine car! Look at what I've got! Look at what I've done! Me! Me!
Me! Me!”
In the end, even though many people lie and/or exaggerate on Facebook, and even though their photos may be air-brushed, according to the studies, this egotistical, narcissistic boasting and bragging is
contributing to a profound sense of alienation and dissatisfaction among people
in the world today. In other words, it’s making us all sad.
So, in closing, I think maybe we all need to find something better to do with our time, instead of spending it
doing something that’s just going to make other people cry. As for me, well, I’m going to go dab some polish in the general
direction of my toe nails and hope at least some of it lands where it should.
Source:
Coleman, L.
(2011) The anti-social network: By helping other people look happy, Facebook is
making us sad. Retrieved from
http://www.slate.com/articles/double_x/doublex/2011/01/the_antisocial_network.html
No comments:
Post a Comment