A team at the University of Pittsburgh carried out a survey of Facebook users to see if there was any correlation between usage of social media and loneliness. Some people have suggested that moderate use of social media is an antidote to loneliness, especially for those who cannot easily leave their homes.

In fact the researchers found a straight line correlation: the more you use Facebook, the lonelier you are likely to be! But what is the causal relationship? Do lonely people use Facebook more (because it helps), or does using Facebook make you more lonely?

Another team in Michigan sent smartphone users texts 5 times a day for two weeks asking about their Facebook use since the previous text and how they felt at the moment. The results suggest that feeling lonely doesn't lead to more use of Facebook; rather the more you use Facebook, the lonelier it makes you feel. In addition, the more "Facebook friends" you have that you have never met in real life, the more likely you are to have emotional problems.

I live alone and I am almost never lonely. But then I don't use Facebook at all!

I used to use Facebook some when it was new, then I realized it was little more than a honeypot designed to collect and profit from user data.

I still log on occasionally, because I'm a member to a group with lots of activity on its Facebook page and I must occasionally post updates. I open a private window in Facebook or Vivaldi, do what I must, then log off quick like a bunny.

People who want to reach me have my email address or my phone number or both.

Who needs Facebook when they have Linux to mess with

Enjoy playing jokes on friends? Show them this video.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=vmre4S...ient=mv-google

Unfortunately, when you need to do outreach, you need to reach out where the people are.

I've never used FaceBook, and I never will. (Why should I, when I've got LQ?)

Seriously: you need to know when it's time to turn the computer off, and/or to ignore your phone when it's once again clamoring for your attention. Go take a walk. Take up ballroom dancing. Tomorrow will be another day.

And, if you "meet" someone online, realize that you have never met. It's fine if you have a common interest, but that's not really "social." A "persona" is not a "person."

I don't think that a computer network is really an appropriate place to "be social," anyway. It's to be expected that, some of the time, you will find yourself feeling incredibly lonely, even in a crowd. But an icon is no substitute for an actual person within your physical reach. Or a basketball game. Or a tennis match. Or an early morning hike/run. Or... Or... Or...

And, when you do these things, put your phone on "silent" and ignore its vibrates. (Except to see if it's your spouse calling, which I presume ... too bad ... is not applicable here.) Set aside quality time when you are not on-line. (Believe it or not, you can answer that e-mail ... tomorrow.)

I use facebook messenger a LOT to keep in touch with friends & family back home. I rarely actually log into Facebook proper though.

I do find a lot of the funniest, most insane things via Facebook. I mean, how would I have discovered Dysfunctional Veterans without Facebook.

But the point of the article is that using Facebook seems to make people more lonely, not less. So why do they do it?

Why do people do drugs?

faecebook is addictive, it taps into people's need for social interaction. Perversely it also saps their ability to interact socially in "the real world". In effect it's a vicious circle: They're lonely, they go to faecebook, it's faecebook which makes them lonely...

It also taps into what I call the "tabloid news" / "glossy magazine" effect, in that it titillates with what used to be called "gossip" and functions as a gossip monger, facilitating the spread of baseless rumour far and wide (called "viral"). Part and parcel of "celebrity culture", i.e. reading about other people's private lives. It keeps the masses placated and distracted from real world problems.

The victim's brain is actually tricked into believing they have a "circle of friends". But it's their fabricated online persona (which is fabricated whether they use their true ID or not) which has friends, not the real individual.

There's a theory that gossip is the human version of the social grooming that other apes use to cement their relationships.

I use and like G+ and LQ. I would never use facebook were it not for family and friends that know ONLY facebook for social online media. I find it useful, but heavily saturated with lies and stress inducing posts with no redeeming social value.

I still have a myspace account from when that was social media, and use it to track certain personalities. The value in myspace reduced rapidly when personal interaction was filtered, and it has pretty much zero value today. Were it breaking into the market as it is today, it would never have become known at all. I expect that facebook will either evolve, or die the same death: in time.

I've read that Germany has found it extorting users into unfair terms of service by using fear of social isolation.
Either way, the GNU webpage has a nice point of view on the subject and I generally agree with that.
Could be I'm just stubborn or something.

Hi,

I have never used Facebook or for that matter any form of popular social media. My only communications on line are with things that I wish to have contact with and that includes LQ. I have a large social network which fills my needs. Most of my friends have my contact information so they can call, email or snail mail me.

I speak or communicate with a large number of people and do not feel lonely. My wife and I communicate all the time. Do we always agree? Not always, she has her opinions and I have mine. We respectfully agree to not argue over minor issues and when interacting within our social group do not cause issues whenever preventable. We keep our issues to a minimum state and never leave things unsolved but both of us know the limits we can reach publicly. KISS is a good guide; Hope this helps.
Have fun & enjoy!

i see extreme deflation of the meaning of words like "Share", "Friend", and even "Like".

I will call social media SM from now on, for historical reasons.


priceless!

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Truth be told I only created a Facebook account out of intense peer pressure and trying to fit in socially among my gatherings, mind you this was almost 6-7 years back when I (unfortunately) was still a rudderless teen.

More than half a decade down the road I've almost completely stopped posting anything on Facebook at all, I only log in when i want to interact with a sports group (I am a massive cricket geek) or anyone of my old friends would contact me on it. I usually prefer people emailing me stuff or calling me directly.

Mind you I am not by any means Anti social media, I have a very active presence on Twitter and a few other local discussion boards however the amount of humorless drivel Facebook had made me decide that it was best to just keep it as a last resort communication medium for my friends who do not have an additional way to contact me.

Personally speaking I am a huge fan of forum contributions and getting to engage with like minded people on different high quality discussion boards - Case in Point (LQ)