“Facebook denies us a pleasure whose profundity we had underestimated: the chance to forget about ourselves for a while, the chance to disconnect.” Stated by Stephen Marche, a Canadian writer, in an Atlantic Monthly article, he points out that Facebook is just an application that everyone currently uses to isolate themselves from the world and uses it as a tool to escape from reality (Tobar). Looking deep into this statement, we find that there is much truth in the fact, that while Facebook connects people from different parts of the world and brings them together, many people use it as a source of getaway from their daily lives. I think, and many would agree with me, that it has made people be more concerned about how many likes and how many comments they get, than about having good relations with their friends and family. Similarly, “Ello is an interesting case, another indicator that everyone is uncomfortable with Facebook”, says Mollick, a Wharton management professor. The Facebook Messenger gets access to the people’s location, photos, and videos at all times. Also, it has angered many transgender users, given the fact that they have to sign up either as male or female, that being mandatory. It has also been criticized for having a lot of control over the device it is installed in, accessing all the data stored on it. In my opinion, people are switching over to other social media applications, and it is a good move, considering that the safety of their accounts has been compromised on many occasions.
“The magnitude of online information Facebook has available about each of us for targeted marketing is stunning.” Said Andrews in the New York Times, he writes how Facebook uses the information provided about its users in generating ads directed at them. As Facebook generates most of its revenue from advertisement, it has found a new, more efficient way of making sure that every individual views ads based on his likes, and locality etc. Thus, if for instance you ‘liked’ a page about a certain brand of clothes or accessories, be prepared to get a dozen ads in your newsfeed about other ‘related’ brands. To see my newsfeed blown up by such unwanted ads can be very bothersome, as is seeing ‘suggestions’ about what people to befriend based on my current friends’ list. All of these things make me feel that my personal space is being violated, as if too much information has been handed out and it is being used to control my life. I can safely assume that no one would be okay with that. Similarly, Wooflie, an expert on the subject, says, “There is some evidence that links Facebook use to low life satisfaction,”. He based his statement on evidence from a study by Ethan Kross, published in PLS One, which clearly affirms that the more that people spend time using Facebook, the worse their emotional and psychological well being is. Although checking notifications may prove to be gratifying for a moment, in the long term it makes people more depressed than happy. Studies show that this depression is most often caused by viewing other people’s vacation photos. Personally, I find that Facebook is highly addictive, rendering people unable to ‘get on’ with daily life. Thus, the more you use it, the more susceptible to psychological issues you are.
References
ANDREWS, LORI. 'Facebook Is Using You'. Nytimes.com. N.p., 2014. Web http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/05/opinion/sunday/facebook-is-using-you.html?pagewanted=all&_r=1&. 8 Oct. 2014.
Mollick, Ethan. 'Can Ello -- Or Any Social Network -- Take On Facebook? – K@W'. Knowledge@Wharton. N.p., 2014. Web http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/can-ello-social-network-take-facebook/. 8 Oct. 2014.
Tobar, Anais. 'Facebook Has Changed Personal Communication: Good Orbad?'. Myweb.fsu.edu. N.p., 2014. Web http://myweb.fsu.edu/aat09d/project_communication.html. 8 Oct. 2014.
Woolfe, Sam. 'Sam Woolfe: The Negative Effects Of Facebook: Addiction, Social Isolation And Depression'. Samwoolfe.com. N.p., 2013. Web http://www.samwoolfe.com/2013/12/the-negative-effects-of-facebook.html. 8 Oct. 2014.
