Social media — Photo credit: Jason Howie via Flickr.com
Hello guys,
I've been quite busy lately... and unfortunately, too lazy to write. You know, sometimes you need to get inspired or motivated in order to start writing on a topic you're interested in. And... spending my time at home with my family led me to some conclusions about using social media. And more specifically — Facebook. So, I'm devoting this blog on this so popular network that has, according to Statista.com around 2.27 billion monthly active users (by the end of 2018).
No Facebook — Photo credit: Kimkha via Commons.wikimedia.org
That's a huge number, isn't it? But what truly makes Facebook so interesting and is it beneficial to users to interact online and how often? Let's start off by defining what is Facebook:
Facebook, Inc. is an American online social media and social networking service company based in Menlo Park, California. Its website was launched on February 4, 2004, by Mark Zuckerberg, along with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin Moskovitz, and Chris Hughes.
Facebook Mouse Cursor — Photo credit: Simon via Pixabay.com
So, almost 15 years after it's creation, the company has become one of the most used and loved networks in the world. I don't really share that love for Facebook. I mean, I'm grateful for the good sides of it — e. g. providing job opportunities to many people, informing groups of likewise thinking individuals about events, connecting old friends, etc. But, apart from those, there are some negative effects of using this particular social media. I'm going to list them below, so keep reading:
1. Facebook could be used for spreading false information.
Photo credit: Speedofcreativity.org
And not only it could be used, but eventually — it will be used for such purposes. Having a large number of members, this is the perfect weapon for changing/adjusting mass opinion. It doesn't matter what people believe is true, the moment you check things on Facebook, and considering all your friends believed certain information is accurate, then you start trusting it, too. And that's even if it's simply absurd or totally ridiculous. Social media made us lazy in that regard: it's easier to trust several sources that claim the same thing than to analyze the information for yourself. It's hard to believe, but that's the reality nowadays. People like to be part of the mass, and they want to be modern, so they do what most people do.
2. Facebook affects your mood.
Facebook emoji — Photo credit: Hermann via Pixabay.com
Believe it or not, Facebook could change your mood in a negative direction. Just checking the posts of your friends, and seeing happy faces can make your extremely miserable and envious. Not realizing that many of these faces are fake and made entirely for the purposes of showing off. Nowadays it's so easy to fabricate and edit photos through various apps and photo editors so that everyone is able to do this. Looking at how perfect people's lives is can seriously reduce your personal happiness.
3. Facebook wastes your time.
Facebook Social media — Photo credit: William Iven via Commons.wikimedia.org
No need to mention that time spent on Facebook is never returned. Besides that, once in, it is easy to stop keeping track of time. Scrolling down and checking new publications is not only useless, but it could be also harmful if you neglect your daily duties and ignore family members and friends. It gives the false idea of happiness forgetting what's important in life. There are people who spend hours and hours reading and watching what others posted, and this way their own life remains in the second place. One should be careful about each minute wastes because time is our most valuable asset.
Facebook Social network — Photo credit: MaxPixel.net
4. Facebook distracts you from work.
Facebook & Business — Photo credit: Pxhere.com
Many companies nowadays allow their employees to use Facebook in their workplace. This could be a good idea if used properly for work purposes and to create contacts. However, if it becomes a way to skip work tasks and work less — this could be a real problem. Managers should check if all tasks are completed by the end of the day and if not — try to limit the use of Facebook in the office. In some severe cases, even managers overspend their time in the social network. In such situations, nobody can control the employees. It all depends on the company policies — how much time they allow the workers to use for social media.
5. You can become addicted to Facebook.
Funny Facebook photo — Photo credit: Pxhere.com
Similar to the drug addictions, you can develop the same type of habit using social media. It sounds funny but spending time purposelessly on Facebook can lead to unwanted effects, such as:
— change of values — people start to give more importance to their online life compared to their real one;
— lack of consciousness about time — minutes and hours in the network become a whole afternoon or the entire day;
— it gives the feeling of loss if you're not able to log in a given day — like every addiction you want more and more of it not being capable of limiting yourself from scrolling.
How to Break Your Social Media Addiction — Video credit: Thomas Frank via YouTube.com
I have no idea why for me it is not possible to appreciate Facebook the way other people do. I have asked many of my friends who regularly enjoy this network what is so nice in there. The most common answers I received are:
☻ people are able to update their information about family, friends, colleagues, etc. Everyone is posting stuff about holidays, work and life events;
Facebook police — Photo credit: Pxhere.com
☻ people are able to post about their lives, about funny things they found browsing the internet, videos, photos and many more;
☻ people are able to watch stuff they like, check the information they are interested in, and play games they enjoy.
Is Social Media Hurting Your Mental Health? — Video credit: TEDx Talks via YouTube.com
Don't get me wrong — I'm not some kind of Facebook hater or something. I just believe that this social network and social media, in general, should be used for the right purposes. And those are to create, to be useful and helpful, not to destruct. I also check regularly information I need on Facebook (and by the way that's the main reason I haven't closed my account with them just yet).
Anyway, what I am talking about is that one should be careful and conscious about his/her own time spent on social media. Too much of online presence or even as an observer can lead to unwanted consequences. Don't forget that social networking is also one of the reasons why people reduce their time offline and meet their "real" friends less often. And that could lead to isolation, depression, and various other conditions. So be careful!
And with this, I'm leaving you. Hopefully, I will have more time for blogging in the coming weeks and months but I cannot promise. My schedule is quite busy lately — trying to balance between work and family is not always an easy task. But I hope you enjoyed this article as it truly represents my opinion.
Thanks for reading! See you in my next blog!
— NinaB
