Posted on Sunday, 4 March 2012

Is Facebook Turning Us Into Psychotics?  Who takes a photo of every meal they eat to show to everyone they meet?   Who offers up their newborn babies to strangers they’ve never met?   Who drags their cats and their dogs around with them everywhere they go? Well, a person afflicted with psychosis (a psychotic) certainly does… And, thanks to Facebook, so do you…. In fact, thanks to the wonderful world of social media and networking sites, (the primary culprit being the omnipresent social gorilla known as Facebook), we’re only paying attention to the things we want to pay attention to. And that leaves us increasingly disconnected from our friends, family and co-workers as we simply turn to our devices when a conversation no longer interests us. And that, apparently can be the cause of psychosis which, according to the American Heritage Science dictionary, is “a mental state characterized by the loss of contact with reality and the ability to think rationally.” This mental state (a psychotic person often behaves inappropriately and is incapable of normal social functioning) has been attributed to frequent Facebook usage.  Case in point.  Dr. Larry Rosen, a professor of psychology at California State University, distributed surveys to 1,000 urban adolescents and his own 15-minute observations of 300 teenagers that were studying. Among his findings were; Teenagers who use Facebook more often show narcissistic tendencies while young adults who have a strong Facebook presence show more signs of other psychological disorders, including antisocial behaviors, mania, and aggressive tendencies. Daily overuse of media and technology has a negative effect on the health of all children, preteens, and teenagers by making them more prone to anxiety, depression, and other psychological disorders, as well as by making them more susceptible to future health problems. Facebook can be distracting and can negatively impact learning. Studies found that middle school, high school, and college students who checked Facebook at least once during a 15-minute study period achieved lower grades. There’s certainly plenty of data that supports Dr. Rosen’s findings. Surveys showing that we’re increasingly suffering from a variety of psychiatric ilnesses directly linked to the use and over-use of social media have become commonplace. So,  what’s to be done about it?   Well, obviously it’s long overdue for us to actively pursue a more self-aware and well-adjusted relationship with technology, the internet and social media. Or, you could just go on adding more photos to your collection of idiotic cat pictures on Facebook…

Is Facebook Turning Us Into Psychotics? 

  • Who takes a photo of every meal they eat to show to everyone they meet?  
  • Who offers up their newborn babies to strangers they’ve never met?  
  • Who drags their cats and their dogs around with them everywhere they go?

Well, a person afflicted with psychosis (a psychotic) certainly does…

And, thanks to Facebook, so do you….

In fact, thanks to the wonderful world of social media and networking sites, (the primary culprit being the omnipresent social gorilla known as Facebook), we’re only paying attention to the things we want to pay attention to. And that leaves us increasingly disconnected from our friends, family and co-workers as we simply turn to our devices when a conversation no longer interests us.

And that, apparently can be the cause of psychosis which, according to the American Heritage Science dictionary, is “a mental state characterized by the loss of contact with reality and the ability to think rationally.”

This mental state (a psychotic person often behaves inappropriately and is incapable of normal social functioning) has been attributed to frequent Facebook usage. 

Case in point.  Dr. Larry Rosen, a professor of psychology at California State University, distributed surveys to 1,000 urban adolescents and his own 15-minute observations of 300 teenagers that were studying.

Among his findings were;

  • Teenagers who use Facebook more often show narcissistic tendencies while young adults who have a strong Facebook presence show more signs of other psychological disorders, including antisocial behaviors, mania, and aggressive tendencies.
  • Daily overuse of media and technology has a negative effect on the health of all children, preteens, and teenagers by making them more prone to anxiety, depression, and other psychological disorders, as well as by making them more susceptible to future health problems.
  • Facebook can be distracting and can negatively impact learning. Studies found that middle school, high school, and college students who checked Facebook at least once during a 15-minute study period achieved lower grades.

There’s certainly plenty of data that supports Dr. Rosen’s findings. Surveys showing that we’re increasingly suffering from a variety of psychiatric ilnesses directly linked to the use and over-use of social media have become commonplace.

So,  what’s to be done about it?   Well, obviously it’s long overdue for us to actively pursue a more self-aware and well-adjusted relationship with technology, the internet and social media.

Or, you could just go on adding more photos to your collection of idiotic cat pictures on Facebook…

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