Facebook Usage
Vocabulary
| satisfy | volunteer | motivation |
| left out | period (2) | possession |
| result | influence | in contrast |
| gender | vindicate | loneliness |
| real-life | conclude | well-being |
| survey | observe | investigate |
| envy | emotion | undermine |
| fake | common | achievement |
| jealous | enhance |
Too Much
Those who feel left out in the world of Facebook can feel vindicated: the more people use Facebook, the worse they feel and the less satisfied they are with life, according to psychologists.
Scientific Research
Ethan Kross of the University of Michigan and Philippe Verduyn of Leuven University in Belgium studied 82 Facebook users for a period of two weeks.
The volunteers, in their late teens to early 20s, agreed to have their Facebook activity observed. They also recorded how they felt and any phone calls and face-to-face meetings with others.
The Results
The results showed that the more a volunteer used Facebook, the worse he or she said they felt during that time period.
In contrast, the more volunteers socialized in the real world, with actual people, the better they felt.
Other Factors
Gender had no influence on the results; nor did the number of social contacts, motivation for using Facebook, and level of loneliness, depression, or self-esteem.
Dr Kross and Dr Verduyn concluded that, rather than enhancing well-being, Facebook undermines it.
Their study does not fully explain why socializing online has a different effect from socializing offline.
Possible Explanation
Another study at Humboldt University in Germany, surveyed 584 Facebook users, mostly in their 20s.
The investigators found that the most common emotion people had when they used Facebook was — envy.
Jealousy
Facebookers often feel jealous of others with beautiful photos, great achievements, and expensive possessions (much of which is fake).
Real-life encounters, by contrast, are more “what you see is what you get”.
Questions
1. The more people use Facebook, the happier they are. True or false?
2. What did the scientists do? How did they conduct their research?
3. Socializing on Facebook and socializing with real people is the same. Is this right or wrong?
4. Was there a difference between how males and females felt?
5. The main emotion people felt when using Facebook is happiness. Is this correct or incorrect?
6. Do some or many people feel envious of others on Facebook? Why do people feel jealous?
7. What happens in real life?
A. I use Facebook; I have a Facebook account. Yes or no? How often do you use it? What about your friends?
B. What have you learned on Facebook?
C. Are some of your friends “addicted” to social media?
D. Does your company or organization have a Facebook account?
E. Can you make money off social media? If yes, how?
F. What is the future of Facebook and social media?
