The Psychological Impact of Facebook

Social Media
By Sarah Smith
NEWPORT NEWS, Va.-- Billy Payne Jr. and his girlfriend, Billie Jean Hayworth of Mountain
City, Tenn., were found dead at 6:30 a.m. on Jan. 31, 2012, because they had defriended
Jenelle Potter, age 30, on the social network site Facebook, according to the Huffington Post.
According to HuffPost, the couple was allegedly shot by Jenelles father, Marvin Potter Jr. and
an accomplice.
There is much debate about the psychological effects that social media sites like Facebook and
Twitter can have on people, especially young adults and teens, who are vulnerable because of
their stages of development.
Part of the problem is that technology is far more advanced than we are as a society, says
Karen DiNuzzo, an adjunct psychology professor at Christopher Newport University.
Depression in Teens
MSNBCs Lindsey Tanner covered a story about Facebook causing depression in teens. She
interviewed Dr. Gwenn O'Keeffe, a Boston-area pediatrician and lead author of new American
Academy of Pediatrics social media guidelines.
It can be more painful than sitting alone in a crowded school cafeteria or other real-life
encounters that can make kids feel down, O'Keeffe said to MSNBC, because Facebook
provides a skewed view of what's really going on. Online, there's no way to see facial
expressions or read body language that provide context.
The it OKeeffe refers to is simply browsing Facebook. Colloquially among young people, it is
known as Facebook stalking or creeping. Both terms have negative connotations, but being
used with levity among teens and young adults to describe perusing profiles, pictures and
comments on the social networking site.
Pam Turman, a sophomore English major at Christopher Newport University, says she has
Facebook, but she only uses it to share pictures with her family. Turman is a perfect example of
the more positive uses of Facebook, but she says that Facebook can have a negative
psychological impact on anyone, especially teens.
The exposure dilutes their precaution, Turman says, because they dont understand the
ramifications, and how easily they welcome random people and even strangers into their lives
through these sites.
You cant blame Facebook for murder, Turman says in reaction to the Potter story, but
parents can talk to their kids about cyber bullying, and how to interpret information people post
on sites like Facebook.
Supporting Turmans point, Tanner writes
on MSNBC.com, The guidelines urge
pediatricians to encourage parents to talk
with their kids about online use and to be
aware of Facebook depression, cyber
bullying, sexting and other online risks.
Its not Facebook, says Carrie Moura,
head field hockey coach for CNU, it is
deep rooted psychological issues. Moura
has her B.A. in physical education and
M.A. in educational leadership, and she
says she friends her players on Facebook
to make sure they conduct themselves in a
way that represents the program well, and
to help the girls with future employment.
Like Turman, Coach Moura does not
blame Facebook for the murder of Payne
and Hayworth mentioned above. She says
she believes that the psychological issues
were preexisting, and that sites like
Facebook can have a negative impact on
people with previous psychological issues.
Assistant Field Hockey Coach Stephanie Bernthal agrees with Moura. It definitely depends on
the person; people need to realize that Facebook is not reality, it only shows the best of a
person.
Bernthal makes a strong point. Many young people believe that the number of friends they have
on Facebook equates to real life. Its ridiculous, says Mariah Wesely, a junior English major at
CNU. Half of the friends you have on Facebook arent really your friends, its just a label.
Unlike Wesely and Bernthal, people like Jenelle Potter see Facebook as a reality, and that is the
reason why Facebook can lead to depression in certain young people who are overly obsessed
with the site.
It is sad that a something like Facebook, that was created to connect people, is affecting young
people so negatively, says DiNuzzo.
DiNuzzo says that there might be other factors that cause people to go over the edge like
Marvin Potter Jr., but the words put up on Facebook, Twitter and even in emails can be
interpreted in different ways and, it depends on the person reading the words.
1A CNU student Facebook stalking and tweeting on her phone.
Wesely says, I have defriended people and I am aware that some people have defriended me,
but I was happy about it, now that I am older and more mature I realize that the number of
friends I have on Facebook should not be taken literally.
Technology Replaces Face to Face contact
With the increasing use of social media as an avenue to express oneself, there has also been
an increase in cyber bullying and criticism of others via Facebook, Twitter and other social
networking sites.
Yes, sometimes Facebook posts have made me sad and angry, says Wesely, but I talked it
out with my friends like a normal person. Wesely alludes to another good point that technology
is becoming the main vehicle for communication, especially Facebook. It is corrupting
communication between people, leading to issues in confronting another person about a
problem.
People use technology as a shield, and they say things that they could not say to a person face
to face, says Wesely.
Professor DiNuzzo says, People seem to get bolder
when communicating via technology.
Elizabeth Bryant, a sophomore communications major
at CNU, says that she defriended an ex-boyfriend on
Facebook so she could move on and focus on her
new relationship.
My ex-boyfriend was really upset and he texted me
and called me a bitch, says Bryant. She says he
probably could have never said that to her face, and
she understood that he took his removal from her
friends list the wrong way.
Technology in Real Life
The impact of Facebook on a person depends on the way a person relates to technology, says
A.J. Bennett, a sophomore philosophy major at CNU. It does not surprise Bennett that some
people take what happens on Facebook too far, because many are obsessed with the site.
As technology becomes a bigger part of our everyday lives, it becomes more important
psychologically, says Wesely.
There seems to be a pattern with young people, and technology. I have seen it in some of my
classes. Students are becoming unskilled with face to face contact because of excessive use of
Facebook and Twitter and even texting, says DiNuzzo, This worries me.

2CNU Student Hilary St. Mary gets "bold" via Twitter
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For more info on Facebook and depression: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42298789/ns/health-
mental_health/t/docs-warn-about-teens-facebook-depression/