There is hardly any person in this modern world, who does not use “ Facebook”, Facebook has become a primary synonym to social media platform. Facebook is playing a major role since a long time now connecting everyone. Facebook is now easily compared with a search engine which can help you find long lost kins with just a search. It holds thousands of people who are willing to share their world with world just a click away.
But, according to Facebook internal survey every eight Facebook user complaints for the app regarding the harmful effects inflicted on their physical health, mental health and social relationships as well.
This shocking revelation has surely left you dumbstruck as it did to us. The research team evaluated and estimated that nearly 12.5% of the Facebook users are affected from such issues. This portion of users sums up to be approximately 2.9 billion users or around 360 million people.
As read in the documents by The Wall Street Journal, it reported that the drastic and shocking results are from the continuous and addictive behaviour shown by its users towards the app. The high negligence shown by the people towards their health and relationships to spend time watching just one more Facebook video is very harmful not only on medical but emotional terms as well.
The Wall Street Journal also pointed out that the usage patterns of the highly popular social media platform are quite disturbing and the app has been designed to be intriguing and luring its users to spend more and more of their precious and productive time scrolling through feed. Facebook has entitled this o be the “problematic use” of the app.
Luckily, there has been no causality as such. You will be quite surprised to know that these important findings are majorly based on leaked internal documents. The ex-Facebook employee who turned into a whistle blower for such dangerous consequences of the platform, Frances Haugen is the modern-day robin hood. He is surely a hero without a cape who is bringing the dark secrets to light.
Instagram, which is another connected social media platform for making short videos and sharing photos and video with world is leaving behind a negative imprint as well. It is shocking to know that young and tender minds of teens are facing the blows of worsening mental health.
Facebook had once set up a special team which analysed and monitored the social media platform for the negative imprint on the damaging behaviour. It had even suggested the social media platform reforms to fix the edges which might cause harm. However, company only implemented a few of them. Later, in 2019 it got rid of the team . However, the reforms were brought light in march 2020.
Clearing themselves from the issue, the Facebook research chief Pratiti Chaudhary drew a clear demarcation between the terms “problematic use” and “addiction”. She denied that addiction had any link with social media. She mentioned that the term “problematic use” has been fairly used with a lot of other technological items such as TVs and Phones. She also insisted that company would surely give its best to promote its safe use.
