Have
you heard the latest? A study once claimed that coffee has many health
benefits. That scientific find is now ghastly overrated and found to be
incorrect since it has to be coffee made from freshly ground beans.
Another study once claimed having a glass of wine every day is good for
the heart. That's now moot and it all depends on how large that “one
glass” is. I can list a whole bunch of foods, scenarios and lifestyles
that scientists once said promoted growth that's no longer deemed
“healthy.” Nothing is good for your health anymore - including Facebook!
The University of Michigan decided to release a new, ridiculous
'study' about the negative mental effects of being on Facebook.
According to the web site Digitaltrends.com, the study “tracked
participants for two weeks, asking them questions apparently written by a
committee of Jewish mothers, focusing on how worried or lonely the
participants were at the moment and how much they had used Facebook
since the last survey.” Participants who logged into Facebook more often
were found to be sadder. Are these statistics for real?
Everyone
– professionally and personally – who is connected with me on Facebook
knows the routine and genre of things I post. From dishes that I've
made, to my summer beach outings on the weekends, to professional
accomplishments, I share events and happenings that I want to remember
later in life.
Despite the fact that we enjoy sharing events in our lives with
others, one study would have you rethinking how Facebook impacts your
life. The latest 'study' reports that using Facebook somehow leads to
unhappiness – more specifically, seeing others post fun and exciting
things makes some people 'depressed.' I think that's a bit extreme,
don't you? Do you get jealous or feel a sense of inadequacy from seeing
photos of your friends and family having a good time when you're sitting
there doing nothing (which is your own fault, of course)?
Psychologically, everyone at some point feels “sad” when they go online
and see everyone is enjoying their life – especially if you know they're
shoving it in everyone's face that they have a fabulous life – and
yours is less than eventful. I have to admit, I'm one of the only people
among my Facebook friends (and in real life) who's not married with
children or a baby on the way (by the way, I've confirmed this. I would
say 75 percent of my childhood friends are married with a couple of
children). I don't feel a sense of “loss” or “sadness” when one of my
Bildersee alumni posts a photo of their latest sonogram – or of their
colorful wedding photos that got over 20 comments in two hours. Me, feel
depressed that I have a quiet life with a lot of great friends? I
should feel sad because I can do whatever I want whenever I want because I'm not popping babies every couple of years? Oh, please!
No offense to those who conducted those “studies,” which went viral
last week, but Facebook was created to connect people and reunite
friends who WANT to know what's going on in each other’s lives. What I
DO find sad is that the kids I grew up with in Canarsie
don't even seem to really care about each other as much as they care
about their current friends. The study didn't account for who, exactly,
was contributing to this “depression” or “sadness” among Facebookers.
Old friends? Casual acquaintances? One's family? Someone’s distant
friends from 10 years ago probably don't care as much about what you
post, but the ‘studies’ also note that we seek everyone's approval and
want to show off to our old acquaintances.
How did we intimidate someone back in the day? Flashing a good
old-fashioned photograph in front of their face? Would you throw your
wedding or Sweet 16 photo album at them to prove you've “moved on” to
better things in life?
I’m tired of hearing about ANY studies that involve Facebook. No one
is forced to have a Facebook page and no one is forced to sit there
purusing through photos of someone’s exciting life. So, whether you
“like” it or not, you’ll have to endure seeing everyone around you have a
good time. Or you can conduct your own study – it will give you
something better to do than be on Facebook!
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