Rising Risk Using Facebook

Facebook has been connecting people around the world since 2004. If you think about it, almost everyone you know either currently has a Facebook account or has had one at some point. It allows you to stay up to date with friends and family that you may not communicate with otherwise. It allows you to see fun pictures and your friends milestone moments in their life. This all sounds great and like a wonderful thing, which it is. But there is a side to Facebook that many are all too familiar with but it doesn’t get much talk, that is depression.

Recent research studies are showing that constant usage of the social media giant can actually lead too depression. One way this is happening is because people are comparing themselves and their lives too much too others. Let’s say you have an old college friend on your list. Your the same age, went to the same school, had the same friends and so on. You now see that they have a successful high paying career, starting a family and recently purchased a house. Now you start to compare your life and your working a job you hate, still living at home and can’t find an extra dollar to save let alone purchase a home. This makes you start to feel sad and depressed. This is one way that Facebook is causing depression among many of its users.

Facebook was never intended to allow others to compare there lives to others but unfortunately this is something it has become. Another way its causing depression is through loneliness. Many people have hundreds of friends and connections on the site but continued research is showing that many people who spend lots of time on Facebook, aren’t spending time with any of those people in real life. This is leading to depression because even though your virtual friends list is endless, your real life friends list is small. Research is showing this is causing alarming rates of depression in users of the social media site.

Social media overall is an amazing tool to keep up with old friends and to share your life accomplishments. Too much of a good thing though can easily turn into a bad thing. Letting social media cause depression is something that can easily be avoided. Sometimes just taking some time away and creating your experiences and memories will help get you out of that social media depression funk.