Get your Cutlass, fellow men. We have a new
Arsonist to run out of town, and its name is Facebook.
It’s selling our data, monitoring our phone calls , and, perhaps worst of all, doesn’t even seem to feel that bad about it.
But before you smash your phone, Tablet or your PC or delete Facebook,
let’s take a look at this. Is the platform really a toxic
monster? Or perhaps more of a misunderstood
beneficial beast?
Let’s see if we can consult science based on this.
Last month, The Journal of Social Psychology published a study exploring the relationship between Facebook and stress. Using 138 active Facebook users as their Lab rats or better still in plain English "Case Study", researchers from the University of Queensland found that taking a five-day break from the platform lowered levels of the stress hormone cortisol.
I think you are Ready to hit that delete button, but calm down and don't take it so fast.
“[W]hile participants in the study showed an
improvement in physiological stress by giving up
Facebook, they also reported lower feelings of well-
being,” lead researcher Eric Vanman said in a press
release. “People said they felt more unsatisfied with
their life and were looking forward to resuming their Facebook activity.”
And those lower cortisol levels? Participants didn’t
even notice, reporting that they felt just as stressed as they did before quitting Facebook temporarily.
In some instances, using Facebook can actually help
you cope with stress.
That’s according to a study the journal Computers in Human Behavior published in May 2017. Northwestern University researcher Renwen Zhang surveyed 560 Facebook-active university students, focusing on their use of Facebook to disclose information about stressful events in their lives.
Zhang concluded that opening up on Facebook helped the students mentally cope with stressful situations.
When the students shared information, they were
likely to get support from their Facebook friends in
the form of encouragement, advice, or offers of help. This, in turn, made them feel supported, more
satisfied with life, and less depressed.
Therefore Quitting Facebook means saying goodbye to all those digital hugs that can help you get through your latest breakup or crappy day at work.
So the question is, how do Facebook’s scientifically supported benefits stack up against its disadvantages?
Well, there are the aforementioned privacy issues to consider, plus the damage the platform can do to our health , IRL relationships , self-esteem , intelligence, overall well-being … We could go on and on.
Hmmm On second thought, maybe it is time to get your Cutlass. Or, at least, don’t smash your device on the floor just yet.
