Facebook: increasing sadness, one user at a time

In a matter of only seven years, Facebook has become one of, if not the most, popular social networking site on the web. With approximately 500 million active users to date, this website has clearly become a part of a vast number of people's lives.

While it's fun to post pictures, information, and statuses about yourself—which some people believe is causing Facebook users to become narcissistic—many users overlook the popular social media website's negative effects that can have a major impact on the psyche and self-esteem of its users.

I read an article on Switched.com that said, "Facebook makes us all sad because everyone is happy but us," and as I continued reading, I realized how much sense that statement makes.

Think about this: people generally showcase their accomplishments on Facebook rather than the hardships or failures they encounter, and if they do, they usually express them with self-deprecating humor; users are also able to un-tag themselves from unflattering pictures, and basically create a selective online identity.

Facebook users construct their identities by posting things like photos and statuses that display the good aspects of their lives rather than the bad, and their fellow users—referred to as "friends"—tend to wrongfully assume that their friends' lives are happier, or at least funnier, than their own.

Why is this? Overestimating the happiness of others is a human habit, as well as comparing oneself to others. So, if an unhappy Facebook user signs on to Facebook and sees their friends' funny, happy, and overall optimistic posts, that individual's sadness will most likely increase as they see how happy other people's lives appear to be on Facebook.

In a nutshell, seeing other people's happiness while we are unhappy just makes us feel even more alone in our sadness, and Facebook is an excellent way for a disheartened individual to feel even more down in the dumps.

Although a study conducted at Cornell University showed that "Facebook can have a positive influence on the self-esteem of college students" (Cornell University Press Release), that doesn't mean simply editing your profile will help you out of your depression.

What I recommend someone do if they're not having the best day is to not log on to Facebook, unless they're able to remind themselves that what their friends post online is only what they want other people to see. It doesn't mean that their lives are better or easier—in fact, they may even be dealing with the same issues as you, but to broadcast such things wouldn't fit the online identities they've created.

 Works Cited

Cornell University Press Release. "Facing the Facebook mirror can boost self-esteem." Cornell University Press Relations Office. Cornell University, 1 March 2011. Web. 24 April 2011.