Facebook Effects on Society

Often people proudly boast about the number of friends they have on Facebook. It is said that an average Facebook user has over 175 friends and the number simply increases if the user is a teenager or a user with a beautiful profile!!!

Teenagers and young adults get glued to their Facebook account. More often than not, their day begins and ends with Facebook. The viral effect is not just limited to youngsters. Homemakers too are a victim of this addiction. They continuously check and update their status, write on someone’s wall or read messages. So, how does this have an adverse effect on interpersonal skills?

Although Facebook proclaims to be a chain of social networking, it is in fact digging a grave for an individual’s interpersonal skills. More often than not, a person with loads of friends on Facebook will shy away when confronted in person. Why? Because Facebook makes you a loner! He or she begins to be in the company of virtual friends…where you if you dislike something or someone, just switch off or get invisible! In other words, although you let people pry in your private life, and you too idle away your time snooping around what your other ‘friends’ are up to, you are so used to sending text messages, that when you are face to face with people, you are short of words. Worse still, if you have to address a group of words, you’d probably die a hundred deaths.

Again, when you are spending most of your time playing games or chatting, you find lesser and lesser time to meet up with real friends. You’d not know who’s your next door neighbor is, thanks to the complete lack of interest in society. You become so self indulged and engrossed in the reel world of Facebook, you just don’t know what’s actually happening in and around you. You have no time for outing or reading newspaper…or for anything worthy!

At a recent social gathering, I met a ‘Facebook’ friend of mine. I purposefully restrict my self to checking in just once in a day or two, and invariably find this guy online. We used to exchange ‘hi and how are you’s and catch up with what’s going on in each other’s life. Well, I was in a rude shock when I met him personally. A person with over a hundred friends on Facebook is actually an introvert! While the others enjoyed each others company at the gathering, this guy set in the last corner, barely talking to anyone.

It’s not just individuals and parents that are worried about increasing Facebook addiction. Increasing number of corporate houses is putting a ban on sites like Facebook in the office premises. If you have the habit of checking in your Facebook account more than twice or thrice a day, you could soon be falling into its addiction. Stay away from Facebook, communicate with your friends, neighbors and loved ones instead, and I am sure you will end the day feeling happier.