Current Day Distractions - Teens Suffer From "Facebook Depresssion"

[mflemming]

I can't see myself texting like that forever and so on.

I wish Norman Rockwell was still with us to do a painting of four people sitting at a table in a diner, three focused on their phones, one looking at something interesting in the real world, and a bit bored/amused by her companions. The expression would be subtle, but Norman could have done it.

 

[scottyrocks]

Sometimes I think about the way objects and their use evolves over time.

I remember, many years ago, my (ex-)wife purchased a 'cell phone' with a plan that included maybe 10 minutes a month. The thought was that she would have a communication device in case she got stuck somewhere so she would be able to call me, or someone, if there was an emergency. And that's all it was never used for. For less than a year. Of course, over time, we all have arrived at the situation we find ourselves in today - communication devices that are seemingly glued to our hands. Who knows, maybe within the course of a few generations, we will mutate these devices right into the physical fabric of our beings.

Personally, I've been trying to hold back. I have a basic cellphone with a qwerty keyboard for texting because pushing the '2' key three times to arrive at the letter 'c' just s*cks. Don't even get me started about 's'.

But despite phones with dadat aplans and bbs access, and internet access, and apps, I remain stubbornly attached to my fairly basic cell phone, in my own head, for its most important reason for being - in case there is a emergency, and if not that serious, to inform people who needs to know my whereabouts just where I am when they need me.

 

[HungaryTom]

I would hate to be some of the young folks today, who 30 or 40 years from now, look back on their own lives and sadly realize they never really lived.

Big Man,

Great Man, you lived your youth in the Golden Era when these things weren't existent and you enjoyed the natural ways of life. The modern era seems to confirm Orwell, Huxley and other visionaries. Even the term "Smartphone = Okostelefon" makes me rage. Life is down the toilet when one needs a phone that is smarter than oneself. Two people staring at their monitors and typing expression-less fa(e)ces. I even got embarassed if somebody discussing with me takes their mobile and then discusses like I wasn't there. I would simply stand up, if my mate or girl would ignoire me and text around instead of focussing on our conversation. Embarassing. Atomized Droids "couple".

I was lucky that I begun computing only when Windows 95 came, so my first 23 years weren't contaminated with IT. Which I appreciate very much. Social network sites, chatting are time robbing, flat superficial and no good at all. I rather write e-mails with IDEAS at the few friends I have, but even more I like to meet people and have a talk with SILENCED mobile phones.

Back to the original idea, those people who are already tranquilized and hybernated wont even think ile that since they don't know how to live a real life in the first place. Teenagers having this facebook addiction or any addiction can be depressed when they loose their access to their fav. drug.

 

[Shangas]

Speaking as a young man in his twenties, I have to say that I never understood the fixation with facebook and all those other networking sites.

I've heard of stuff like this going to RIDICULOUS lengths. Here's two examples...

1. Last year (or the year before), two girls were out walking when they got lost and fell down an open drain. Instead of calling the police, they took out their phones and updated their facebook accounts and then just sat there.

If not for the chance fact that a mutual friend just HAPPENED to be online...they could've been stuck there for hours, because as I understand it, their phones ran out of batteries just a few minutes later.

2. Last year, Bill Nye the Science Guy was giving a presentation when he collapsed on stage. The entire audience took out their cellphones and updated their facebook pages before anyone even began to call for an aumbulance.

 

[John in Covina]

I finally figured it out. :eusa_doh:

If you are old enough to have watched some of the early Science Fiction shows and films there were a number of themes that touched upon the idea that man as a social animal would have great difficultly in dealing with the loneliness and isolation of long term space travel. There is a great Twilight Zone where a young astronaut to be finds himself in a deserted town and can't find anyone. It is actually a construct of his mind that has happened in an isolation experiment.

Cell phones and texting is a secret government conditioning agent to create a race of humans that disdain actual contact with other humans and desire all communication thru electronic devices. This will allow for the selection of future astronauts for long term deep space exploration without the ill effects of the loss of actual human contact.:eeek:

 

[Edward]

Meh. Technology is just a tool. The problem lies with the users, not the technology. Otherwise, you're just shooting the messenger.

 

[John in Covina]

Meh. Technology is just a tool. The problem lies with the users, not the technology. Otherwise, you're just shooting the messenger.

Just like heroin.

 

[Feraud]

We were out to dinner the other night and at a table across from us was a 20 something year-old couple. Both had their smart phones out texting away. They did this just about the entire time, never even looking up at each other. It took everything I had not to reach over and grab their phones, throw them to the floor, and stomp them to pieces. What a waste of time.

I've lived a good life. In my younger days I really had fun. I went backpacking in wild and remote places, rock climbed on first ascent pitches, hunted, fished, drank hard and drove fast (not at the same time, of course), and had a blast with some very interesting people. Now that I'm getting a bit older, I can look back at all those wonderful life experiences. I'm also old enough to look forward and know that most of my life is behind me (unless I live to be over 112 years old, that is).

I would hate to be some of the young folks today, who 30 or 40 years from now, look back on their own lives and sadly realize they never really lived.

I too see many couples out together while plugging away at their cellphones. It is unfortunate they don't seem to realize what they are missing in the situation while busy being someplace else. Business and advertising have screwed a generation of people.

 

[Mr. Hallack]

Like my cell phone, I'm never on Facebook 24/7 like half the world seems to be. It has been useful in finding friends I haven't seen/heard from in years, but it isn't my complete life. I actually interact face to face with my family here, speak to my brother and far away friends over the phone.

 

[John in Covina]

Facebook doesn't flow right to me. I have a hard time figuring out when i am on my portion or wandered into someone else's page. I tend to get totally lost and can't find my way to what i want to get to. The logic behind what is connected and what is not connected to me or other pages is not particularly clear to me. I go on for a few minutes, get frustrated and leave.

 

[sheeplady]

I think that the "facebook depression" is like a lot of other things for people. I think teens are socially still developing, and in the teen years socialization seems to be really important. I'm not sure if this is from our society(ies) or is biologically programmed in, or both. It seems, at the root of it, that the problem is that we emphasize the socialness as being important for teens.

I can easily see this happening pre-facebook: I think that someone who went to school and kids were all talking about the best party ever that this someone was not invited to. Or everyone is talking about going to a party and you didn't receive an invitation (and you know you were left out on purpose).Facebook is no different, in many ways, then the lunchroom and homeroom talk.

I would really like if we concentrated more on developing people (and this includes teens) who have a good sense of self. Their lives don't depend upon going to the next party, or getting the perfect job, marrying the perfect person, or buying the right house or car. Are these things important? Yes. Should you balance your entire psyche on just your career, social life, or marriage? Probably it's not healthy. Stuff happens- you might not get an advancement or you might get divorced. You'll be very sad for a while (because you cared and you tried and you wanted it to work) but a good sense of self helps you to balance these things and not let it consume you.

And I also agree with LadyDay's comments about depression. There's a difference between clinical depression and sadness, and I don't like the media throwing around the clinical term just to get clicks.

 

[Edward]

Just like heroin.

I'm pretty sure Facebook hasn't been directly responsible for anyone's premature death, though. See also cellphones.

I think that the "facebook depression" is like a lot of other things for people. I think teens are socially still developing, and in the teen years socialization seems to be really important. I'm not sure if this is from our society(ies) or is biologically programmed in, or both. It seems, at the root of it, that the problem is that we emphasize the socialness as being important for teens.

I can easily see this happening pre-facebook: I think that someone who went to school and kids were all talking about the best party ever that this someone was not invited to. Or everyone is talking about going to a party and you didn't receive an invitation (and you know you were left out on purpose).Facebook is no different, in many ways, then the lunchroom and homeroom talk.

I would really like if we concentrated more on developing people (and this includes teens) who have a good sense of self. Their lives don't depend upon going to the next party, or getting the perfect job, marrying the perfect person, or buying the right house or car. Are these things important? Yes. Should you balance your entire psyche on just your career, social life, or marriage? Probably it's not healthy. Stuff happens- you might not get an advancement or you might get divorced. You'll be very sad for a while (because you cared and you tried and you wanted it to work) but a good sense of self helps you to balance these things and not let it consume you.

Yes.

And I also agree with LadyDay's comments about depression. There's a difference between clinical depression and sadness, and I don't like the media throwing around the clinical term just to get clicks.

Entirely. It is frightening enough to come out of the mental health closet without what can be an incredibly serious, even life-threatening, condition being so trivialised.

 

[The Lonely Navigator]

"But he also points out much of what is posted on the sites isn't reality.* The problem, he says, is that*for some people the social networking world becomes their reality."

I found that statement in the article rather telling.

I like reality. RE: Phones at the table: Hubby and I have a strict out to dinner rule: no phones at the table unless it's business or camera usage. I can accept him taking calls from clients.

I'm the same way. Despite my health situation, I'd much rather reality any day over an 'artificial' world which isn't tangible. I like to be able to do things in the physical world which have 'tangible results' rather than an artificial reality. This one of the main reasons why I do not do too much on the internet at all aside from my small websites and shopping...let alone even have a direct i-net connection.

 

[Lady Day]

Technology are tools, like the telephone curbed many face to face visits, cell phones and especially text has curbed a lot of voice interaction. Some people now rely on most communication via text, and while some may say its a digital return to writing (I can see that) what is lost on a lot of people are the ability to read nuanced perceptions in writing, especially when most preceptions are done via video and movies.

Oh the irony.

LD

 

[Puzzicato]

What I want to know is how does someone text and eat at the same time? What do they do, liquefy the meal and suck it up thru a straw so they'll have their hands free?

It's rather sad that the millions of years of evolution necessary to produce opposable thumbs has culminated in this.

I was on a food blogging message board when a silly PR intern came on to promote a product that was basically a large cake fork (3 tines and a blade on one side). Her claim was that it would enhance family meal times. I pointed out that there are studies showing that children increasingly don't know how to use cutlery properly , and that unless someone doesn't have use of both hands, the only advantage to this device was that your children could eat and ignore you while they texted. So no advantage at all. She didn't post again.

I think that the "facebook depression" is like a lot of other things for people. I think teens are socially still developing, and in the teen years socialization seems to be really important. I'm not sure if this is from our society(ies) or is biologically programmed in, or both. It seems, at the root of it, that the problem is that we emphasize the socialness as being important for teens.

I can easily see this happening pre-facebook: I think that someone who went to school and kids were all talking about the best party ever that this someone was not invited to. Or everyone is talking about going to a party and you didn't receive an invitation (and you know you were left out on purpose).Facebook is no different, in many ways, then the lunchroom and homeroom talk.

I was planning to say something like this, but you said it much better than I would have. Facebook just broadens the scope.

 

[John in Covina]

I'm pretty sure Facebook hasn't been directly responsible for anyone's premature death, though.

http://www.care2.com/causes/womens-...-girl-commits-suicide-after-intense-bullying/

 

[Edward]

http://www.care2.com/causes/womens-...-girl-commits-suicide-after-intense-bullying/

My point entirely. Facebook was merely one of the channels for the bullying behaviour which was the true cause. Fight the real enemy.

 

[V.C. Brunswick]

Investigators also found that Phoebe's harassment was "common knowledge to most of the South Hadley High School student body" and that certain faculty, staff and administrators of the high school were also alerted to the intense bullying. While some students and faculty intervened on Phoebe's behalf it was too little, too late

As I might have said before somewhere else, school administrators are often reluctant to get rid of bullies and troublemakers because, in addition to the legal minefield they would encounter thanks to our litigious society, it would also mean the loss of precious funding. I've always had a problem with school funding based on how many warm bodies you can cram into the classroom.

 

[sheeplady]

My point entirely. Facebook was merely one of the channels for the bullying behaviour which was the true cause. Fight the real enemy.

That case is so sad. At least because of facebook they have tangible proof about what these kids did. It means any case doesn't all lay on witnesses, which I am sure any defense will have a field day with.

I've read that some of the parents have denied their children did anything that wrong.

 

[John in Covina]

My point entirely. Facebook was merely one of the channels for the bullying behavior which was the true cause. Fight the real enemy.

Many people don't understand the idea that things that can be used for good can also be used for bad or misused. It is the action that defines the doer not the object or device used.