Social Media Anxiety
By The Wonders
By The Wonders
Globally, technology has seemed to have grown
exponentially throughout the past century. Along with this major growth in
technology Facebook was born. Many of us use Facebook to keep in contact with
family, friends, and acquaintances but could it be possible that this new
technology has done us harm? Yes and no.
Facebook makes keeping in contact with someone
very easy for us but it might be too easy. Many people would rather text or
message someone on Facebook than meet with them in real life. There is a big
difference between talking out loud and writing a message. This seems to be
making our face-to-face interactions more awkward because people aren’t used to
communicating through speech. Facebook can make isolated individuals feel more
isolated and very social people more social.
Many people religiously check their Facebook and
it is these people that are at a higher risk for lower self esteem than those
who rarely check their Facebook. The reason for why and how Facebook works to
lower ones self esteem all has to do with the fact that people tend to compare
themselves with their “friends.” The problem here is those of us who regularly
post every positive thing (and no negatives) going on in our life. Whether it
be a vacation, graduation, marriage, baby, new relationship, or some big life
achievement. We try to keep any of the negatives off of our Facebook and lead
everyone to believe that our life is perfect. By creating this false image of
ourselves it leaves many of our acquaintances to compare themselves to us thus
leading them to have lower self esteem.
Real World Experience on how Facebook
affected us
Audrey Hop
Joined Facebook: 2010
Friends: 290
I check the dirty FB mainly
when bored or waiting on average I'd say 3-4 times a dayIn the past 3 days
did you message someone on FB ?
• Calling
I feel is becoming obsolete. I text more often than call and when the longlost
hello via text doesn't get answered sometimes I will follow up with a message
on FB...as was the situation tonight lol
On
average how often do you meet with your friends in real life?
I
meet up with my close friends that live in my area often, but the ones that
don't live near me I rarely see and not sure if FB has something to do with
this but some of them I try to avoid:-/What do you use Facebook for other than
keeping up with friends?
I
guess I mainly use FB to keep up since myspace has been retired for quite some
time.
Somethings
I would like to add would be the facebook addicts...everyone has
"that" friend that likes to post about every little freaking thing that
they do from the food that they eat to the billions of funny memes they post.
At some point it gets a lil creepy. Also I think that people try to
over-glorify (I say glamify) their lives to make you think that everything
is just fantabulous when in truth it may not be. I have found myself
wanting to post about upcoming trips or new boots as well and now that were
bringing this up I have to wonder who am I doing this for and why? Everyone in
my close circle knows I am doing these things... am I trying to rub it in to
those who don't? Or merely just trying to let my FB presence be known? Question
of the night:-)
Noemi Mendoza
Joined Facebook: September 2010
Friends: 346
I have been a member of Facebook
since September of 2010. I currently have 346 friends and out of those 346
friends I probably am only friends with about eight. The rest of the 338 are
people I know from school, work, or are acquaintances. I usually check my
Facebook twice a day on a busy day and more than twice on a day that I do not have
much to do. I have messaged at least three people on Facebook the past 3 days
and continued that conversation going for only about three days.
I use Facebook to stay connected with
my close friends and family because that is the only way I know what is going
on in their life. I have phone but I rarely talk on it or txt anyone besides my
son’s father. I have a son who never lets me talk on the phone without him
wanting the phone. I do not meet with any of my friends in real life because I
am always just so busy.
I
think social media is a way for me to stay connected because I do not get to
hang out with my friends.
Joanna Lukaszenko
Joined Facebook : July 2006
Friends: 1,244
I check
my facebook on almost an hourly basis thru my phone, ipad or computer.
Unfortunately I am a full blown facebooker, I have been using it since almost
the start and it’s a source I cant imagine living without. Facebook for me has
become more of a tool. I am linked in with lots of businesses and local event
planners which help me keep up with whats going on in Portland. In the past few
years facebook has become a tool that I use instead of texting. I rarely like
calling people except my parents, I communicate mostly thru text and messaging.
Facebook can be taken in a negative aspect that it is making people lonely, but
I believe it has kept me more in the loop of social events. I believe people
have a choice of how to use it and can turn it into a negative thing.
Dylan
Jess
Joined Facebook: Never
So the only reason i don't have a Facebook is because 1. most of my
friends already live around me 2. i don't even see my family that much
because i have too much school work, so how can i see my friends or talk to
them when i don't have time 3. I would rather spend my free time with my dogs
than hang out with my friends only because my friends have jobs and i shouldn't
disturb them and my dogs need my attention more 4. I barely use my phone, only
because i forget to charge, and this means i hardly ever turn on my laptop or
ipad, so why should i chat on Facebook when i have so many other crap
going on in life. My friends can wait!!!!! 5. I found that Facebook is
popular only for a short time and now most adults have a Facebook account i
don't see why but they do.
Taylor Garr
Joined Facebook : 2008
Friends: 912
I used to be
obsessed with it. Now, as a senior in college, I never seem to have the time or
care to obsessively check my Facebook any longer. I have 912 “friends” on
Facebook and I probably only talk to about 30 of them still. Most of my “friends”
consist of acquaintances that I have met along my journey through life. I check
Facebook maybe once or twice a day and only if I am bored or trying to put off
doing something. I have not messaged anyone within the past three days on
Facebook and I usually only message someone if I have no other way of getting a
hold of them. I have called to talk to a few friends within the past three
days. On average, I meet with my friends in real life about twice a week
depending on how busy I have been. I sometimes use Facebook for promotional
reasons or to keep a sort of “album” of my life so that I don’t lose pictures
if my computer crashes.
Many
of us are so caught up on social media, even to the point of being addicted. We
are constantly on some type of networking that we are losing sense of real
life. Technology is growing so rapidly that maybe one day there will be no such
a thing as an addict but rather just a norm to have some type of
technology in our hands at all times. Social networking can get in the way of
having face-to- face conversations and truly interacting with one another,
Humans are known to be social creatures, therefore while we can let’s embrace
our life here and find a balance and make time for real life interactions
before we become robots ourselves.
Interesting
Links about the Facebook Era:
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