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Is Facebook making us sad?

William K

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http://www.slate.com/id/2282620/

Jordan got the idea for the inquiry after observing his friends' reactions to Facebook: He noticed that they seemed to feel particularly crummy about themselves after logging onto the site and scrolling through others' attractive photos, accomplished bios, and chipper status updates. "They were convinced that everyone else was leading a perfect life," he told me.

I can agree that it might seem like it's a 24/7 class reunion where you see all your friends having successful careers/families/facelifts in real-time, and you could feel unworthy in contrast. Maybe that's because envy is supposed to be my main 4w5 weakness.

Moral of the story : Just friend people with negative status updates. It will make you feel relatively happier! :D
 

ScorpioINTP

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Not to mention keeping up with your ex GF/BFs lives can be a downer. I'm not a big facebook lover myself.
 

JocktheMotie

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Seems like if you're lamenting others' success because you're not having any of your own, it's your own pitiful existence that's making you sad. Facebook just helps you realize it, I suppose? Don't kill the messenger.
 

Thalassa

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Facebook doesn't make me sad, though sometimes it annoys me. I'm actually happy when I look at some of my old high school friends, glad that I didn't stay where they are and live the lives they're leading. It's also interesting to see where some people have ended up.

I like that I can keep up with my old friends and family in one place without having to send Christmas cards or some shit like that.

There are lots of things I don't like about facebook - like when family members tag bad pictures of me, or when my drunk ex-boyfriend randomly decided to tell me he loved me on my public wall - but it never makes me feel unworthy.
 

Vie

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Eh. I find it to be a necessary evil these days. In order to be in contact with someone, you either rely on texting or Facebook. FB allows for mass event invites, sharing of big news that you would otherwise have to drag out if it was left to actual socializing...eh, I find it a good way to keep up with the friends that I like hanging out with every couple months - but not too much. Not to mention FB is good for creeping on potential men, or creeping on the EX, or....when in a particularly spiteful mood and inebriated, looking at the people you hate. It's all rather convoluted and sad, but it doesn't make me feel sad.

I will say that it is alarming when you find what people are doing with their lives after high school and how radically different it is. Seriously, so many people boast about being pregnant and then the ultimate marriage results. A twang of...perhaps sadness flicks through me for a flash second when I see this, but then I think clearly and rational again. I will say that Facebook does seem to foster the idea of some people having 'perfect' lives. :\

Though...the world would probably be a much better place if it had never been invented, in my opinion.
 

Lady_X

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it doesn't make me sad.
 

Synapse

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Fb makes me curious about how others are and makes me feel like I belong somehow strangely.
 

mmhmm

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i really like what i've been seeing on facebook lately.
it makes me want to kill.
 

knight

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http://www.slate.com/id/2282620/



I can agree that it might seem like it's a 24/7 class reunion where you see all your friends having successful careers/families/facelifts in real-time, and you could feel unworthy in contrast. Maybe that's because envy is supposed to be my main 4w5 weakness.

Moral of the story : Just friend people with negative status updates. It will make you feel relatively happier! :D

some of those people are liars
 

Unkindloving

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It doesn't make me sad. It just reminds me who I refuse to hang out with because they now have kids!
Okay, so it does a bit more than that :tongue:. My facebook experiences have all been fairly pleasant. I would say it is more of the state of mind of users that determines whether or not it makes them sad. There are more situations where it frustrates me than saddens me, but those are still limited in comparison to the positives. All perspective.
 

Sunny Ghost

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I have the same issue sometimes and will forcefully cut myself off from facebook. Even though I know I shouldn't compare, it is hard not to believe everyone else is cooler, prettier, happier, more successful, etc.

I'm actually on a forced cut off from facebook now. Ha!
 

Thalassa

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Oh you know what does make me sad? When certain people won't friend me on facebook.

That makes me sad. That's not the same thing as the OP though.
 

highlander

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It's only sad because it is so superficial. It's still a good way to stay connected with people and provides some light occasional entertainment.
 

Sunny Ghost

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...but I'm an easily depressed 4w5... apparently I'm the only one to respond thus far that is saddened by facebook.
 
T

ThatGirl

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HA, I was watching a TV show and the character said, "I was on facebook. Had to share intimate details with people I would usually avoid on the street."

I thought that was hilarious. I am not on facebook. I have an account, no friends. Mostly only to look up things other people reference.
 
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I have the same issue sometimes and will forcefully cut myself off from facebook. Even though I know I shouldn't compare, it is hard not to believe everyone else is cooler, prettier, happier, more successful, etc.

I'm actually on a forced cut off from facebook now. Ha!

I've always wondered about that option. Does it help?
 

Patches

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I don't have a Facebook, but if stuff like that bothered me, I would be surrounded by it anyway.

I walk to class and hear two girls talking about the AWESOME time they had last night at that party. I sit in class and hear the guy behind me invite 3 people to a party at his place this weekend. I get back to my apartment and hear the girls upstairs cranking dance music and hear people screaming. Hell, I could go to Walmart and see a couple walking together.

Frankly, if you're going to be made depressed by witnessing the social interaction of others... Getting rid of your Facebook isn't going fix it.
 

Sunny Ghost

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Frankly, if you're going to be made depressed by witnessing the social interaction of others... Getting rid of your Facebook isn't going fix it.
not necessarily by witnessing social interactions of others... all facets of comparison.

obviously, if it's a problem that exists on facebook it is indeed a problem that occurs even without... but with facebook it's definitely worse. especially if you're already depressed and isolated yourself from the world and feeling lethargic. logging on to facebook and seeing that this person created these beautiful photos, or that person went for a mountain adventure hike, or this person went to such and such concert... or this person posted something incredibly funny and witty... etc. etc. it can be very damaging to the sensitive types. we can start to feel as though we don't measure up.
 

Patches

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logging on to facebook and seeing that this person created these beautiful photos, or that person went for a mountain adventure hike, or this person went to such and such concert... or this person posted something incredibly funny and witty... etc. etc. it can be very damaging to the sensitive types. we can start to feel as though we don't measure up.

But how is that any different from hearing people talk about those things in day-to-day life? I mean, when someone goes on a mountain hike... They don't just post it on Facebook. They talk about it to colleagues, classmates, whatever. This is EXACTLY the same as sitting in class and hearing them say, "Dude, I went on this amazing mountain hike this weekend..."

And you know those people posting witty comments and making constant Facebook updates about how awesome their life is? Guess where they're doing it from? Sitting alone in front of a computer monitor.
 
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