Social Networking

Summary: Social Networks such as Facebook, Twitter has slowly and surely become an inseparable part of our lives. They have allowed us to share and engage with our loved ones and friends and have made us happy while doing it. But does it create depression too? This post is all about trying to answer that question.

Social Networking has become the norm of the modern world. People cannot live without it and it has surely become a part of every person’s life. It is really difficult to find someone today who doesn’t have a Facebook account, a Twitter account etc. The same applies in day to day to speech where it is difficult to find someone who cannot include the word “Facebook” in their normal conversations.
As much as it has created these deep connection, studies has shown that social networking seems to have brought huge emotional changes and responses among individuals. Sure it makes you happy and jump in joy ( ex: when you add pictures with your friends and family members and tag them all out, when you chat your friends, when you comment on status messages etc.); But, it seems to create depression too. As much it is hard to accept for many, it is a true fact.
According to this study done by sociologists Hui-Tzu Grace Chou and Nicholas Edge, at Utah Valley University , it is stated that the longer you spend in social networking, there is a bigger chance for you to get depressed. The biggest culprit in this case is Facebook, which is understandable since it is the mostly used social network in the web.
So does it really make you Sad?
Personally, I believe social networking does make you feel depressed, though you won’t be aware of it at most times. It starts when you start seeing other people’s profiles, success stories, and joy and when you start comparing yourself with them. I have personally seen that happen to so many individuals I know and some have even openly talked with me regarding this where they have said they don’t like to be in that kind of an emotional situation; yet, they are dragged into it.
A simple picture or a statues message can make you angry or jealous of that particular individual and we have already seen situations where these emotions have gone over the limit and have led to even bigger crimes like suicide or murder. It is really not good situation and is a really big black mark for social networking as a whole.

So How Can We Be Happy and Stop Being Sad ?
The answer for the above question lies within the root cause of this problem. “Reduce the time you spend on Social Networking, or control it “. There are many people who spend a lot of hours on social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter and those are the people who are most likely to feel these kind o emotional break downs.
The best way to stay away from social networking is get some real networking going for you. Bonding with your loved ones for real without limiting it to the internet, spending some quality time with your friends without communicating with them just through social networks, is a good way to break out from such emotional stress. Having a Social Media Life Balance is important for any individual who is addicted to social networking. That will keep you happy and content and will help you o have a better social networking experience.
If social media is making you feeling depressed, it is your priority to stop it from making you feel that way. Take some time off your social media accounts and enjoy the beauty of life. Don’t let it be the master of your lives and thoughts. After all, there are all simply websites. You don’t want a website to control the way you think right?
So be aware and be more responsible. Social Networking is here to stay but it is not in control of you. Take control of your life and thoughts and don’t let social media networks such as Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus to be the one that tell you, what you need to think
We have a 24x7 access to social networking sites through our cell phones. May be we should stop logging into our Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and now even Google+ accounts, all the time.
Did you know? About 70% American teenagers have a Facebook account, of which more than half check it daily, making them even more vulnerable to this phenomenon. Also, children aged between 8 to 18 years are exposed to more than 7 hours of daily technological usage in the form of cell phones and Internet, as found out in a study.

Signs of Facebook Depression

Pardon me, but this is what psychologists are calling it, the 'Facebook Depression'. Studies suggest that there is a new kind of depression on the block and you can blame your social networking accounts for it. Though, I'd say blame yourself for spending too much time on them and updating your statuses all the time. Anyway, it's not an actual medical disorder, it is sort of social-psychological disorder that more and more people are suffering from. Personally, I believe they call it the Facebook Depression because Facebook happens to be the most widely used social networking site. But, it's about each and every social networking site that you log on to. To be politically correct, it is technology induced disappointment.

The signs of a Facebook Depression are that your psychology as well as your feelings become vulnerable to the posts you view on your home page. Did you know? About 70% American teenagers have a Facebook account, of which more than half check it daily, making them even more vulnerable to this phenomenon. Also, children aged between 8 to 18 years are exposed to more than 7 hours of daily technological usage in the form of cell phones and Internet, as found out in a study. Your teenager could easily become a victim of online bullying and/or sexual solicitation. Apart from that, the feeling of loneliness definitely creeps up some time when you are upset or disturbed and you don't know who to turn to. You sit there staring at the screen; 853 friends, 61 online friends. But, who do you talk to? You don't. Then, all you do feel is the existence of absolutely nobody you can pour your heart out to. Tell me if that doesn't make you feel depressed.

And then, your pretty "friend" uploads a picture of herself with her new boyfriend looking deeply into her eyes while you have been single since months! Now you have to tell me, is social networking causing depression? Does it not make you think about the things lacking in your life? That is what I am talking about. In fact, we all have a tendency of judging others' magnitude of happiness by the pictures they post; smiling, with friends, on a vacation or a new buy. Do you know? It is said that happiness is over-rated! She won't tell you if she had a terrible fight 5 minutes after clicking the picture and she cried all night long. A lot of us don't like to announce to the world that we are sad, while a lot of others just can't resist doing that (hint: me). A survey conducted among about 200 students concluded that if you have more than 117 friends, you are more likely to be a victim of social networking causing depression, than those who have less than 95 friends of whom they know each one personally, quite well.

Once, another friend updated her status that read - "Instead of asking 'What's on your mind?', Facebook should change it to 'Problem of the day'!". LMAO. Whoops. I mean, hilarious. But, true.

How Does Social Networking Cause Depression?

Everybody has so much to share. You spend so much time browsing through your social networking accounts. So, you obviously get less face time with your friends and more virtual time with almost everyone who is online on your friend list. This further demotivates people from going out and the lesser you get out, the more you get depressed. After all, man is a social animal. We need to meet people in order to stay in touch and be a real part of the society. And then, you read everyone's happy status updates and see their happy pictures on your wall (of course, nobody really clicks sad pictures of themselves and puts them up on a social networking website, do they?). It makes you depressed wondering why is your life not as great as theirs and why are you not as much happy, if not more? Even if not out of jealousy or self-contempt, you still feel loathe yourself for being left out when your friends are having so much fun. Then, if you read a sad status update, it further subconsciously affects your own emotional rhythm and your brain starts thinking it is sad, worsening your psychological state. Were you expecting sad updates to cheer you up? Somehow, we like to think of ourselves as being the only person with so many problems to deal with and that, everyone else gets to be happy while we drown under the burden of pain and misery. In our subconscious minds, we only concentrate on how happy others are and how miserable we are. According to research, you are almost 50% more likely to feel distressed if you read a depressed status update by a friend who is close to you. Then, you do the not-so-unexpected and you update your status with a really sad and depressing note. This further makes you think about how depressed you are. Even if you may not be as much, people comment on it to console you and then you self-pity yourself, playing the part of the victim well. See, it is a cycle! Unless, you stop logging in to your account and be less curious about what is going on in others' lives. Pay more attention to your life and talk less about the bad things happening around you. It may be hard, but it is not impossible. Typing this, my cheeks are red from the shame and guilt of letting my emotional state win over my brain so often. Changing subjects, have you heard of accusations citing Facebook as a reason for divorce? Sad, but it's true.

Do you often find yourself, consciously or subconsciously, checking the number of friends or followers your friend has on his/her list and comparing it to your statistics?

May be we let our kids be exposed to social networking too soon. After all, what would a prepubescent child or a teenager, with sky-high hormone levels, know better? In fact, we can't even control ourselves from indulging in excessive use of social networking. If you get hooked onto something and use it more than you should, do you expect anything 'cool' or productive to happen? No way. We have a 24x7 access to social networking sites through our cell phones. May be we should stop logging into our Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and now even Google+ accounts, all the time. I like to think that it drains out my Blackberry's battery that has ALL the social networking apps. Ironic.

Did you know? Farmville, once the most popular gaming application on the social networking site, Facebook, has been named by the TIME magazine as one of the 50 worst inventions, for being one of the top reasons of debts in American households. Another study in the UK, has given a similar title to Facebook and Twitter, claiming that they are among the top 10 worst inventions of the decade.

I told you, social networking causes depression. Don't bury your head in the sand. Let's face it. We spend so much time on social networking sites because we like procrastinating or totally avoiding chores like taking care of the to-do list, dealing with our problems such as weight issues, unemployment issues, relationship issues and so many other things. Once you log out, all your pending and unaddressed issues come right at you staring in your face. And then, you fall deeper into your depression. In fact, most of us use social networking sites like a tool to tune out the real world because it is so much easier being online when you don't really have to face people and you can ignore chatting with someone even if you are online. I am not saying that social networking sites are the bad guys because so many of us have been helped by them in our businesses to grow or to reconnect with long-lost friends or be in sync with people around us. We just don't know it when we have had enough of our dose of online socializing in a day. Perhaps, it is the FOMO syndrome, the Feeling Of Missing Out, that is keeping us from deleting our social networking accounts. We think we are socializing more with people, but we are actually spending lesser time talking to our friends and family or meeting them. I wonder, if we have become more dramatic since the advent of social networking that lets us express our thoughts freely and publicly.

We all love being in the limelight, even if we don't admit it. If you don't have a lot of friends or followers as compared to your peers, you start taking that as an indicator of your social life and judge yourself thinking people don't like you as much. If you have a lot of friends but people don't interact much with you online, you think they are avoiding you. Or may be it is an ex's new post or photos with someone new. What does that do for you? It causes depression. Time to edit your list, huh? The most startling Google suggestions that I have ever read are... okay, wait. Right now, go on Google and type "Facebook causing" or "is Facebook making you". Read the suggestions and ROFL. I did. LOL. Are rehab centers now going to offer treatments for social networking depression? Ha..ha. Okay, I am just going to shut up now. On an ending note,

"What you think or feel, is what you manifest around you."

***Please Note: We in no way suggest that any specific social networking site is causing depression among people. If you may have perceived so, it is purely unintended.
Read more at Buzzle: http://www.buzzle.com/articles/does-social-networking-cause-depression.html social media Web sites spread news of engagements and breakups, job gains and losses, or even news of life and death, recent updates, incidence. Advantages 1. Keep in touch with family members - at the same time such social networking are very helpful to be in touch with our family & dear one’s. 2. Staying Informed About the World - We get sharing of information very fast & quick 3. At the times of emergencies u can find out well-being of your dear ones 4. Social websites can also be used for business & advertising purpose 5. Helps to persons who stays away from their families they can be in touch with them.

Disadvantages 6. Security – 12 yr old or 50 yr old person pretend to be young.
Accepting request from strangers maintain relationship with them could be harmful. 7. Studies are disturbed - Experiments prove that 60% of students failed to achieve good marks in examinations due to more usage of social networking sites. 8. Terrorist or person with criminal mind can use social networking site for their bad intentions 9. Become addictive of it like update status every 2nd day, upload photos 10. Divert minds – leaving important at side we chat with friends 11. Lack of privacy 12.