Introduction
With the massive development of science and technology, there are more means of communications to connect people all over the world. Among those social networks such as Instagram, GroupMe, and Snapchat, it is undeniable that Facebook is the most popular social site in the world, with 1.49 billion daily active users on Facebook on average for September 2018, 2.27 billion monthly active users as of September 2018 (“Facebook Users by Country,” 2018), and a global usage penetration of 22.9% (We Are Social, 2018).With the improvement of technology, currently almost anyone could get access to the site. They no longer need a heavy computer get online; instead, users solely need phones or anything having cellular service or Internet connection to log in to Facebook (Fox et al., 170). This increases the use of Facebook rapidly. As a result, there are numerous research and surveys taken to examine the usage of this social site. In 2015, when I was in my senior year at high school in Hanoi, Vietnam, I took a survey about using Facebook in recent young generation. I was surprised when I got myself accrued the number of hours that I had spent on Facebook: more than 10 hours per day. After the survey, I was informed to be Facebook addicted and warned to adjust my using habit. From that time, I began noticing the effects that Facebook had on its users.
I did read many articles, newspapers and watched several videos analyzing the impacts of Facebook addiction. In the end, I found that people should not overuse Facebook. First, it harms relationships as it reduces direct communication and raises negative impression among users. Second, the addiction of Facebook decreases work productivity as it increases procrastination and causes work corruption. Finally, overusing the site badly affects human’s psychological problems.
Our writers can help you with any type of essay. For any subject
Order now
Thesis
Bad influence on relationships
Facebook addiction could potentially harm a relationship. First, it reduces direct communication between people. These social sites are relatively attractive and could easily get their users addicted. People spend so much time on the sites that they are no longer willing to meet directly or communicate face-to-face as users find these sites more convenient. Using the site saves users a certain amount of money, for they would not be charged any amount if they use public wi-fi and do not have to make a call. Normally, if they want to talk directly, people would call each other. This would be costly when it comes to long call. Also, by messengering, users could chat anywhere and whenever they want as long as they could get connected. Along with the money saving, there would be other factors such as traffic-jams and personal life schedules contributing to Facebook use’s convenience. Even though this tool would help in maintaining relationships and keeping in touch more convenient, its perceived accessibility and the visibility may foster expectations (Fox et al., 173). Since this site could be easily accessed on mobile devices constantly, users can reach Facebook at all times; at the same time, other network members also expect those people to be able to reach it at all times (Fox et al., 171). “If partners’ Facebook use or expectations are not compatible, this may create conflict and make relationships maintenance on the site feel burdensome” (Fox et al., 173). Additionally, not meeting directly for long could make people feel awkward and uncomfortable when it comes to face to face communication psychologically. As a result, people tend to avoid the feeling by trying not to meet directly.
Second, this overuse of Facebook could potentially create skepticism and misunderstanding among people. In essence, when Facebook user posts things onto this social site, he tends to show the ones that could potentially catch the attention of the crowd. Specifically, instead of posting the full part of a story, he could only upload part of the pictures; therefore, many people could misunderstand the story behind. In other words, the appearance of the story may vary based on the comments that owners’ friends leave on owners’ posts (Ballantine, 51). Specifically, how the users perceive their “walls,” profiles, or posts are influenced by their peer comments and postings left on “walls” or profiles (Walther et al., 2009). As a result, people would only post the one that would be either positively perceived or good for them, and sometimes, even the one that does not influence them at all. Since people could not distinguish what is true from the posts, they have the tendency to be more vigilant and less trustful about others. In the end, these factors contribute to damaging relationships.
Declination of work productivity
Facebook addiction would badly impact work productivity by distracting people from working continuously for they keep checking messengers and notifications on Facebook. In fact, “an average of 2.35 hours is spent accessing social media at work every day and 13 per cent of the total productivity is lost owing to the social media indulgence alone” (“Social media affecting workplace productivity: report,” 2018).
On one side, many people get so addicted to the site for they are curious to know what is happening surrounding them. These people often delay working. For example, when watching a small piece of video advertisement on Facebook, perhaps it only last for a few short minutes but advertising videos on this social site often link to another. Psychologically, people tend to do the things that interest them more (Steel, 2007). “Facebook may be used in this way by chronic procrastinators looking for immediate pleasurable reward in the present time” (Steel, 2007).
On the other side, some users get trapped into Facebook for the fear of social pressure such as the feeling of guilt or dissatisfaction (Fox et al., 171). They feel guilty and sometimes, even uncomfortable when feeling forced to reply immediately to friends’ posts (Fox et al., 171). By looking at the phones or logging into Facebook all the time, the notification’s sounds and baggers would distract the employees, which makes workers could not finish the work efficiently and continuously.
Harmfully effect to human’s psychological problems
Another negative impact that Facebook addiction has on users is the harmful influence on human’s psychological issues. First, it creates the unsecured feeling of being intruded upon. Using the sites means users would unavoidably be watched by others, not only by acquaintances but also by strangers. In fact, Facebook is considered as a tool for cyberbullying, stalking, and online harassment (Fox et al., 2013). This makes many people feeling unsecured, unsafe, and intruded whenever they post anything online. Public visibility on Facebook also enables the monitoring of others’ content without their awareness; for example, Facebook does not inform a user who has viewed their page (Fox et al., 169). This makes users feel scared whenever they post anything onto their “walls,” since they could not control who have seen their things. One example is the Facebook of celebrities. These famous people often never use one accounts, as they know there would highly chances that their Facebook pages are being watched or observed by stalkers.
Secondly, Facebook addiction would make users have a tendency to live “fake” or “unreal.” Many people use this social site either to show off or to create a fake self-image. Nearly every picture posted on the social media is modified and edited before being uploaded onto social sites until the uploaders find the work is perfect enough. As a result, some people can not live true to themselves and could not accept things that do not have beautiful appearance.
Finally, many people use this social site merely to fulfill their low psychological well-being. Individuals with low psychological well-being often reach out to these social sites more often than others because they want to either pass time or fulfill the emptiness in their feeling when being alone. According to the article “The uses and abuses of Facebook: A review of Facebook addiction,” “individuals with low psychosocial well-being, such as loneliness, anxiety or depression, are motivated to use Facebook to find social support or to pass time” (145). According to Chen and Lee (2013), Facebook interaction has a connection with reduction in self-esteem, feelings of distress, and cognitive overload. People with low psychological well-being often compare themselves with others. Unfortunately, as stated by Knox (2015), Facebook users tend to upload the “perfect” part of themselves. As a result, low well-being users would feel stressed and worse for themselves and think negatively, which eventually might affect their mental health.
Conclusion
Overuse Facebook or Facebook addiction causes not only physical problems but also mental issues, as it makes people less connected, declines human well-being, and harms our work efficiency. In general, Facebook addiction affects us both physically and mentally. However, all these bad impact does not mean people have to stop using the site. We should consider when to use the site, and for how long. Instead of relying on Facebook as the only entertainment, we could try other healthy options such as reading books and playing sports.
References
- Ballantine, Paul W., et al. “The Influence of User Comments on Perceptions of Facebook Relationship Status Updates.” Computers in Human Behavior, vol. 49, 2015, pp. 50–55. (DOI: 10.1016/j.chb.2015.02.055)
- Chen, W., & Lee, K. H. (2013). “Sharing, liking, commenting, and distressed? The pathway between Facebook interaction and psychological distress.” Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, vol. 16, pp. 728–734. (DOI: 10.1089/cyber.2012.0272)
- Facebook. “Number of Monthly Active Facebook Users Worldwide as of 3rd Quarter 2018 (in Millions).” Statista – The Statistics Portal, Statista, www.statista.com/statistics/264810/number-of-monthly-active-facebook-users-worldwide/, Accessed 6 Dec 2018
- “Facebook Users by Country | Statistic.” Statista, www.statista.com/statistics/268136/top-15-countries-based-on-number-of-facebook-users/, Accessed 6 Dec 2018
- Fox, Jesse, and Jennifer J. Moreland. “The Dark Side of Social Networking Sites: An Exploration of the Relational and Psychological Stressors Associated with Facebook Use and Affordances.” Computers in Human Behavior, vol. 45, 2015, pp. 168–176. (DOI: 10.1016/j.chb.2014.11.083)
- Shakya, Holly B., and Nicholas A. Christakis. “Association of Facebook Use With Compromised Well-Being: A Longitudinal Study.” American Journal of Epidemiology, 2017. (DOI:10.1093/aje/kww189)
- Steel, P. (2007). The nature of procrastination: A meta-analytic and theoretical review of quintessential self-regulatory failure. Psychological Bulletin, 133(1), 65-94. (DOI: 10.1037/0033-2909.133.1.65)
- We Are Social. “Leading Countries Based on Number of Facebook Users as of October 2018 (in
- Millions).” Statista – The Statistics Portal, Statista, www.statista.com/statistics/268136/top-15-countries-based-on-number-of-facebook-users/, Accessed 6 Dec 2018
Relations In India
Throughout history, the roles and relations between different genders have dramatically changed. In most societies, gender is a term that is socially constructed, as society plays an important role in shaping the different behaviors and attitudes of its members. The differences among genders are strongly reflected in the development of certain behavior traits and social roles within the specified gender. In addition, the development of gender roles begins in the early stages of life, as early as infancy. More specifically, throughout Indian history, gender roles have been very specific and traditional. They have been defined not only by political laws, but also by religious teachings and literature. As time passed by, the traditional nature of these gender roles has been influenced by technology.
In classical India (c. 700 BCE-350 BCE), much like many civilizations before it, men were the dominant gender in agricultural society. As agriculture became better organized and technology improved, the economic contributions from women were reduced but not eliminated, thereby expanding the stress on male authority. India followed a common pattern in agricultural societies, as the women’s sphere of action was gradually circumscribed. One of the largest customs in classical India was the introduction of arranged marriages. The parents arranged unions for their children, principally daughters, at quite an early age, to spouses they had never met before. The purpose of this was to promote a family’s economic well-being and to ensure solid economic links. Also, the child brides would contribute dowries of land or domesticated animals to the eventual family estate. However, as a result, young people, notably girls, were drawn into a new family structure in which they had no say. These wedding dowries also meant that females were a burden to their families, which led to occasional infanticide. Infanticide was widely acknowledged in India and was also caused by poverty, deformed infants, lack of support services, maternal illnesses, and births to an unmarried woman. If a woman became a widow of a Hindu man, she would be burned alive in a practice known as Sati. In the 18th century, Sati was very popular among the upper castes. A significant factor in child marriages and gender roles was the influence of political, religious, and literary establishments.
Our writers can help you with any type of essay. For any subject
Order now
Most rules for different genders stem from political laws, religious books, and literature. These sources were a reflection of the limits imposed on women. For political laws, one of the Indian codes of law recommended women worship their husbands as if they were God Himself. The great epics stress the control of the husbands and fathers while still recognizing the independent contributions from the women. As for religion, Hinduism and Islam were two major religious sects during classical India. In Hinduism, the Hindu doctrine states that women were created by the Brahman (priest) to provide company for a man and to facilitate procreation, family lineage, and progeny. According to the Vedas, the role of women was to support the man and enable him to continue his family traditions. In Islam, the Quran lays down that women are secondary to men. Muslim men are permitted to abuse their wives, engage in polygamy, and part from their wife if she is undesired. With regard to literature, the stories often celebrated the emotions and beauty of women. Indian culture, in general, frequently featured clever and strong-willed women and goddesses, contributing to their status as mothers and wives.
In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the British began colonizing the Indian peoples due to the abundance of cotton in India. They created a division of labor whereby men were subservient to a higher power, which meant women were subservient to men and British colonizers. In 1858, the British Raj became the new rule of India. The first empress, Victoria, created a British proclamation of non-interference in the customs and practices of the people of India. In the nineteenth century, however, British rulers removed women’s inheritance and marriage rights. During the rule of India by the British, they implemented a hierarchical caste system. Men had overarching power over females, especially those in a lower caste. The status of a male dictated what he could get away with. For example, men could abuse women without facing consequences. This made women prone to intimidation, violence, and public shaming as a means of maintaining gender inequality. Women were literally the lowest members of society during this time period.
Moving into more recent centuries, advancements in technology have greatly impacted gender inequality in India. For example, over the last decade, television has been introduced into Indian villages, bringing with it Indian soap operas. The female characters in these soap operas are well-educated, work outside of the house, control their own money, and have fewer children. Investigators visited 108 villages throughout India to see the effect cable TV had on them. They found that due to the introduction of cable, women’s preference for having a male child fell by 12%. The average number of scenarios in which women believed wife-beating was acceptable decreased by 10%. The likelihood of girls aged 6-10 going to school increased by about 8%. Also, for women under the age of 35, the average number of births decreased by half. The researchers of this study, Jensen and Oster, believe TV exposes women to a new set of peers and consequently changes their attitudes.
Each culture and community has their own gender roles and social norms. People within these societies are indoctrinated by these stereotypes from the day they are born. The classifications and stereotypes are passed down through multiple generations and are seldom defied, leading to gender inequalities. In India, women are still in the lower class and often don’t have much of a voice. However, thanks to various technological and social platforms, they can share their stories and promote change. It’s up to each generation to break the stereotypes that women are destined to be homebodies, and give them more freedom, or else society cannot truly claim gender equality.
Do your best to achieve your goals.
Do what makes you distinct from others.
Assert your rights by excelling in your pursuits.
Strive for excellence in your field.
-Saina Nehwal (badminton player)
