In the Facebook “mood study” experiment, the ethic behind whether Facebook has the right to purposefully manipulate people’s emotions is arguable. Facebook uses algorithm to purposefully selecting happy or sad posts in users’ news feeds, aiming to see how these posts affect the posts of the users themselves. The issue behind this experiment is that affecting people’s mood might lead to negative consequences (such as death). Therefore, Facebook, by performing this experiment, might indirectly harm people.
Truth or Tale The two articles “How Facebook Makes Us Dumber” and “When ears don’t hear, truth is futile” though different, both make a very similar argument. Each illustrate that people refuse to hear the truth, and instead trust the lies. The article, “When ears don’t hear, truth is futile” by Leonard Pitts, expresses that people will only listen to the information that appeases their already formed ideas.
Social media has been long known to have effects on the sociability aspect of many people’s lives. Though, it’s often wondered how severely the use of these platforms can alter people’s minds and their outlook on life. In the article published in a popular publication for everyday users of the internet with an interest in psychology and social well being, Psychology Today, “Does Using Social Media Make You Lonely?” written by David Ludden who has a Ph.D. in cognitive psychology, the author addresses this issue by examining how one’s social life and loneliness can be adjusted depending on their use of social media. Ludden crafts a convincing argument that the effects of social media on an individual’s social well being depends on how they use
This article by Rosen talks about how media and technology usage could cause anxieties and attitudes that could potentially be symptoms of either six personality disorder, or three types of mood disorders. The personality disorders that the author talks about are histrionic, schizoid, antisocial, paranoid, narcissistic, and compulsive. The three mood disorders include bipolar-mania, major depression, and dysthymia. In this article the author writes about an anonymous questionnaire that was taken by young teens and adults. The results showed that many of the people related Facebook, a social networking site (SNS), as being a major aspect of these disorders, later in this article it is stated that, Facebook does cause attitudes and anxieties that are possible symptoms of these disorders.
Fowler’s organization of this article is fluctuating between refusing the concept of Facebook at the beginning and accepting but with limits at the middle towards the last part of the article. In
In her essay, “It’s Not about You, Facebook. It’s about Us” Jenna Wortham does an excellent job of arguing the idea that Facebook’s users are the driving force behind its popularity and wealth. She uses several experts in the technology field to prove her point and Wortham herself is a technology reporter for the New York Times, proving her credibility for the piece. While the piece is very technical, Wortham is still able to emotionally appeal to the reader by adding an anecdote creating a connection between her and her audience. Finally, Wortham does an excellent job of organizing her essay to help readers understand the complex dynamic between Facebook and its users.
It was found that “loneliness was a positive predictor of Facebook usage. … The loneliness variable controlled for the direct effect between the need for privacy and Facebook addiction was significant” (Błachnio et al.). Also on social media sites like Facebook, we get shortened versions of stories and the news possibly because of our shorter attention spans. We don’t want to listen to long stories with unnecessary details, instead we want the essential limited information immediately.
Social media allows you to engage in a greater number of relationships, but will also cause people to not be able to think for themselves. To illustrate this, Document B shows a cartoon that reads, “It’s A No Brainer”, which refers to the man on the table. This cartoon is used to explain how the use of technology essentially wears away a person’s brain. Document C also provides a great example of the change in relationships between people since technology has been introduced. It states, “Through an array of newly emerging technologies, the world of relationships becomes increasingly saturated.
Nemecek, Douglas. “2020 U.S. Report: To Further Explore the Impact of Loneliness, in Our ...” Cigna 2020 Loneliness Report, 2020, https://www.cigna.com/static/www-cigna-com/docs/about-us/newsroom/studies-and-reports/combatting-loneliness/cigna-2020-loneliness-factsheet.pdf. Perrin, Andrew, and Monica Anderson. “Share of U.S. Adults Using Social Media, Including Facebook, Is Mostly Unchanged since 2018.”
In her document “ The Fakebook Generation,” later to be published in the New York Times on October 6, 2007, Alice Mathias enters the topic of the most used social networking service worldwide, Facebook. Mathias debates on Facebook’s claim of being a forum for “genuine personal and professional connections” and tries to influence her readers to ask themselves if the website really promotes human relationships. The author illustrates in her document the power and impact Facebook had on the population by convincing to be “a place of human connectivity,” but states her idea of Facebook missing its real reason of enriching human connectivity. Mathias goes on how Facebook became more as an “online community theater” than a functional service tool. She provided examples like people who announce relationships with Chinese food in their status in order to make others laugh instead of providing useful updates.
In the essay, “Isolated by the Internet”, author Clifford Stoll explains that recent research, conducted by psychologists Robert Kraut and Vicki Lundmark, suggests that frequent use of the Internet has had a generally negative effect on the psychological well being of its users. Using examples from Kraut and Lundmark’s previously mentioned research, Stoll asks, “Will the proliferation of shallow, distant social ties make up for the loss of close local links?” The question Stoll raises here is entirely valid, and just as concerning; as the more time one spends online, the more time one subsequently spends alone, away from people he or she could be potentially interacting with. I believe Stoll’s concerns are completely justified as today, (falsely comforted by shallow, superficial relationships,
Facebook provides its users with the ability to keep in touch with friends who have moved across the country or friends who are too busy with their lives and fail to come around anymore. In Aaron Smith 's article, “Why Americans Use Social Media,” he says, “Roughly seven in ten users under the age of fifty say that staying in touch with current friends is a major reason they use online social platforms, and just over half say that reconnecting with old friends is equally important.” Facebook is key for people to keep in touch with their once close friends who are now only virtual friends due to various circumstances. Due to their prior friendship, these people know how to help provide support to one another through the rough times in their lives. These virtual friends still have the ability to provide a support network that can be crucial when getting through a
In the article “Social Media: The Screen, the Brain, and Human Nature” written by Justin Vinh argues that social media creates an atmosphere of loneliness and depression linked to social media use. He believes that this deteriorates the mental health of teenagers, who, as a result, have become isolated. Although some might say that social media connects people more, however, Vinh claims that technology has caused us to become more disconnected. Justin makes a great point when he states, “social media welcomes its users to compare themselves to their peers, and it compels them to try to outdo their opponents” (Vinh 4). The statement he makes is valid because social media became competitive.
Children nowadays have 1000 friends on Facebook but doesn’t have enough friend to hang out in real life. In the article “Stop Googling. Let’s Talk”, Sherry Turkle talks about how the technology have affected people with results of different research and gives her own explanation to them. This article relates to the human psychology and the use of technology It is a worth reading article because most of us can related
Thus, the shy may see the internet as a tool for them to express and perform activities without them having to experience the negative effects associated with their social interaction (Scaely, Phillips, & Stevenson, 2002). Despite the benefits that the Internet brings, its negative impacts such as excessive, misuse, physical and psychological problems have drawn the attention of many researchers (Greenfield, 2000).
