addiction to Facebook ~ the status in FB and more .... !!

Most of my friends are on Facebook and I could see green light glowing – when I log in.  Some of them have multiple accounts too ! For the uninformed,  Facebook, Inc. is a social networking service and website. It aims to make the world more open and connected. Facebook was founded by Mark Elliot Zuckerberg, Dustin Moskovitz, Chris R. Hughes and Eduardo Saverin on February 4, 2004 and is headquartered in Menlo Park, CA. People use Facebook to stay connected with their friends and family, to discover what is going on in the world around them, and to share and express what matters to them to the people they care about.  Many are addicted, keep seeing it, post their status, photos, copied context, own thoughts and more !!!

Facebook’s value has soared to $215 billion after the company’s stock doubled since a May 2012 initial public offering. Over the past two years, the stock is up nearly 150%, while the S&P 500 Index is up 37%. The rise is due to extraordinary growth in revenue, profit margins and earnings. As some say, Facebook itself is a big intrusion into privacy – and there are some features which are more invasive.   One such is ‘Relationship’ status – how much can you imagine ?  – besides the usual one – one reads ‘it’s complicated !’  and see for Self the spectrum !!!!

Elsewhere a post in MailOnline states that in UK,  the social networking site is now cited in a third of all divorce cases, and is increasingly relied upon for proof of unreasonable behaviour, according to a survey of legal firms' caseloads. Facebook unwittingly provides evidence of infidelity and new relationships, helps track people's movements and records expenditure on everything from cars to holidays as users document their day-to-day lives.

Couples who are filing for divorce are increasingly relying on social media as proof of misbehaviour.  Leeds law firm Lake Legal said that many cases revolved around social media users who got back in touch with old flames they hadn't heard from in years. Managing partner Lyn Ayrton says that Facebook sees us reveal certain details about our lives that can later be used in court. 'Social media provides an ongoing log of our lives. The sharing of written posts and pictures, often with geo-tagging, provides a record of activities that can be used in a court case,' she said. Law firm Lake Legal examined 200 of their divorce cases and found that over 66 had used the social networking site as proof of their partners infidelity !!

To some Facebook is like having a massive public noticeboard. Facebook acts as a continual log of someone's life and certain photos or events attended can reveal foul play.  Analysts say that what we choose to post on the site can tell a lot about the lives we are living. 

With the growing ‘apps’ adds another named  ‘Qualitytime’ which works in the background to monitor phone and app usage and tells you how often you check social media and ‘can freeze’  your phone to force you to take a break.  It tracks the times a screen is unlocked and which apps are used the most.  Going by the behaviour of users, if one sleeps with phone under the pillow or check FB before anything else in the morning – they have an unhealthy ‘digital diet.’ This  app was created by cloud desktop firm ZeroDesktop.   Alerts will sound if usage exceeds a certain amount of time, and the app can be connected to smart household gadgets such as lights, to flash warnings instead.

It is stated that in Western Countries, the no. of people treated for addiction is increasing.  Specialists suggest beginning with a controlled withdrawal, which may start with a few days of complete abstinence followed by a controlled reintroduction. After the initial 72-hour detox, the treatment varies according to the severity of the case and the level of adaption.  Initially, people will show distress and signs of withdrawal, much like any addict would feel. Techniques include leaving a phone off or on silent at meal times, and when with friends and family.

But if you feel that this is hyped and Indians are not in this category, here is a news item – courtesy Express New Service of 28^th Oct 2013.  A software engineer working in a reputed MNC allegedly committed suicide in his house at Mylapore on Sunday, upset over his newly-wed wife’s refusal to remove Facebook posts of their wedding photos. The man (29) from Jharkhand, and the girl from Chennai, got married in a church in the city in July against the wishes of  family. They both were working in the same branch of the IT company when they got introduced and were in love for the last few years.

Police said the woman  had posted photos of their wedding on Facebook and tagged her man in the photos. “His cousins in Jharkand had noticed the photos and informed his parents who lived there. His parents were apparently upset over this as they felt their son’s marriage in a church would not be welcomed by their relatives. They had asked him to remove the photos from Facebook. This created bitterness between the couple,” a police officer said.

From the man’s suicide note, police said it was apparent that his wife had refused to remove the post as she felt there was no reason to conceal their legitimate marriage. “ On that night, after a heated exchange of words, they slept in separate rooms,” said a police officer. On Sunday morning, the man  did not come out of his room, but was found hanging !!

With regards – S. Sampathkumar

30^th Jan 2015.