Facebook has been around for a long time now, pretty much everyone you meet or know has one. They may not use it often, or maybe their hand is always in their hand and they are always checking it. It’s different for everyone. Facebook has positive and negative effects to it. It has affected society and/or individuals.
One positive effect of using Facebook according to CBS Sacramento, is that it could have positive effects on one’s self esteem. There were tests done on people with both high and low self esteem and the results from looking at their own Facebook profile page. “Tests administered both before and after study participants looked at their own profile showed subjects exhibiting more confidence, as well as more self-affirmation, afterwards.” I think it’s really interesting that looking at your own Facebook profile can make you feel more reassured in yourself. It does make sense though, because obviously your profile is targeted at you and the things you love to do.
According to homebiz.bukiki.com, one positive aspect of Facebook on our society is the communication aspect. You can stay in touch with loved ones all over the world. That is a huge deal, especially with people in different countries and such. I know my family uses Facebook to stay in touch with my family who lives in Australia now. Facebook is huge in keeping in touch with them because the time difference is huge that it isn’t always convenient to talk on the phone. Another thing is that shy people can interact more with people through Facebook. They can post pictures of themselves or post a funny status to get noticed. Of course its not the same as face to face interaction, but its a start. Facebook has a lot of positive effects on society today.
Facebook may have a lot of positive effects on society or it’s users, but their are also, of course, negative effects to using Facebook. One negative effect of using Facebook is lack of communication in a sense. Although communication is a positive to Facebook, it is also a negative. According to Kevin Cain on socialmediatoday.com, “We’ve watched emoticons replace words as a tool for expressing feelings. Perhaps most importantly, we are witnessing how social media is helping to foster a society that values frequent communication more than meaningful communication. That phenomenon is what has helped Justin Bieber, with his more than 21 million Twitter followers, garner a higher Klout score than the President.” People have gotten so accustomed to just talking to someone on their Facebook rather than getting up and hanging out with them face to face. That is a huge deal, because personally, sometimes I just want to back away from social media and texting and all that stuff and just enjoy life for a little while. It’s really annoying to be constantly checking your phone, but we all do it.
According to theeconomist.com, “Facebook is bad for you: get a life!” According to the Economist and studies shown, Facebook can actually make you poor miserable with your own life. People get jealous based on what they see their “friends” doing on Facebook. “Endlessly comparing themselves with peers who have doctored their photographs, amplified their achievements and plagiarised their bons mots can leave Facebook’s users more than a little green-eyed. Real-life encounters, by contrast, are more WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get).” Nothing beats the real life face to face interaction you get from being with someone. People are so used to just messaging them, but face to face encounters beat all of that.
Personally, I think the positives outweigh the negatives. I don't use my Facebook like I used to, but my family does and I think its amazing that we can stay in touch with family all over the world.
Works Cited:
n/a, . "Study: Facebook Could Have Positive Effects On Self-Esteem, Behavior." CBS Sacramento. CBS, 03 Jun 2013. Web. 3 Mar 2014. <http://sacramento.cbslocal.com/2013/06/03/study-facebook-could-have-positive-effects-on-self-esteem-behavior/>.
Lam, Jhon S.. "Positive and Negative Effects of Facebook on Our Society Source: Positive and Negative Effects of Facebook on Our Society http://www.homebiz.bukiki.com/positive-negative-effects-facebook-our-society/
Economist, The. "Facebook is bad for you: Get a life!." The Economist. The Economist, 17 Aug 2013. Web. 3 Mar 2014. <http://www.economist.com/news/science-and-technology/21583593-using-social-network-seems-make-people-more-miserable-get-life>.
Cain, Kevin. "The Negative Effects of Facebook on Communication." Social Media Today. Social Media Today, 29 Jun 2012. Web. 3 Mar 2014. <http://socialmediatoday.com/kcain/568836/negative-effects-facebook-communication>.
