Facebook - a social media networking site used for communication, entertainment, and businesses. Since it was launched in 2004, millions started using it, and it has become the most widely used social media platform around the globe. There is no doubt that Facebook has many advantages. Aside from being a channel for instant communication, it also offers a venue for both small and large businesses to reach their their target market and develop their businesses even further. However, the disadvantages of Facebook outweigh the benefits it provides. In general, Facebook is not good for the society because it triggers depression, and it negatively affects one’s productivity.
First of all, Facebook may trigger one’s depression. In a study conducted in the University of Houston, researchers found out that people who often use Facebook experience symptoms of depression because of social comparison. Mai-Ly Steers, the author of the study, said that depression, spending time in Facebook, and social comparison “go hand and hand” (Walton, 2015). In other words, Facebook becomes a tool where one can consistently compare his/herself to others, and this triggers depression.
Second, spending time on Facebook can negatively affect one’s productivity. Based on a study published by the Nucleus Research in 2009, it was revealed that a company’s productivity decline by 1.5% when they allow their employees to use during working hours (Williams, 2009). On the other hand, another study conducted in the Covenant College in
Lookout Mountain showed that the more time a student spends on Facebook, the more likely his/her grades will become lower (Williams, 2009).
Overall, people tend to focus on the benefits they could get from Facebook without knowing how much they are being negatively affected by it. Although it makes communication easier and faster and it can help businesses in many ways, it doesn’t mean that these industries won’t survive or grow without it. Facebook is not good for the society as it only creates more depressed people, and it only wastes more time that could have been used for more productive activities. Clearly, the society isn’t any better with Facebook.
Works Cited
William, Ray. “Social Media: Does It Help or Hinder Productivity?” Psychology Today. Sussex Publishers, LLC, 29 November 2009. Web. 26 July 2015.
Walton, Alice. “New Study Links Facebook To Depression: But Now We Actually Understand Why.” Forbes. Forbes, 6 April 2015. Web. 26 July 2015.
