Draft 3 | enc2135

The Information Age, that we are currently living in, has provided people with a number of devices for communication; personal computers, laptops, smartphones, and tablets. No longer are we an age that can only communicate through pen and paper or a wired telephone. This is a time in which the internet and social media has transformed the world into a level of communication that is instantaneous and highly interactive. The global social media site Facebook was created by Mark Zuckerberg and his friends. Dr. Amirthatajan states, “The website mainly aims at connecting people or helps them socialize and makes its revenue out of advertising” (Amirtharajan et al. 2027). This site allows users to create a personal account, publicly post their thoughts and feelings, upload pictures, communicate with other users both privately (through Messenger) and publicly, and can even be solicited by advertisers. This form of social media is terrific for bringing people together but how does all of this interactive communication truly affect users; teenagers, young adults, adults, families, and even those in romantic relationships? Can Facebook cause users to experience envy, low self-esteem, and jealousy?

To begin, we must define the Facebook user and account information. Teenagers and young adults, also known as “The Net Generation”, are users ages 25 and younger. This type of user was born into the Information Age and has used all types of media devices for social and educational purposes. Then we have the adult user. This particular user is aged 40 and above and is not as savvy of a user as the younger generations but is motivated to learn and utilize Facebook for its many social features. Now that we have established these Facebook users, what information do they provide to set up an account? Labor and social researchers state that “Facebook, open up new possibilities for presentation of the self and of managing the self that one presents to others” (Hilsen and Helvik 3). In other words, a person is in complete control of the image that they are displaying to other users. This raises questions like, is the user manipulating information to present themselves in a more successful or positive circumstance? Before you can begin connecting with people through Facebook you must establish a new account profile which will be seen by accepted registered users. Facebook allows the user to provide a “profile picture” and has a series of questions to be answered under the “About” tab. These questions include; work and education, places you’ve lived, contact and family info, family and relationships, details about you, and life events. The user may supply any or all of the information to these questions. Remember, Facebook is a social media website that connects people from all over the world. So, the more personal information you provide Facebook the more connections a user can make. Immediately, however, a user is in control of the image that is being portrayed and this is when the affects of Facebook begins.

Communication through Facebook begins with a profile and often a profile picture because it is always better when you can place a face (picture) with a person. But, what picture should be posted? Believe it or not, there are ways to airbrush pictures online for free. If you are a 16-year old teenager, “you can upload your picture and you can take out all your little pimples and stuff to make it look like your skin is perfect, your hair is perfect” (Shea). What if you are a 40-year old woman? Selecting a photo that will be seen by high school classmates, that have not seen you in 25 years, can be stressful.

Alright, you have selected a photo and now you are anxious to start sending and accepting “friend” requests. At first, the excitement can encourage a user to “friend” anyone they know. In some cases, a person can think of it as a popularity contest. A news reporter stated, “Our circles have grown to include everyone from best buddies to co-workers, to kindergarten classmates and friends of friends of friends, to strangers” (Shea). Users are aware of the number of “friends” they have just by logging into their profile.

But, how much personal information does a user want someone to have access too? This question is answered differently by user. The teenager and young adult utilizes Facebook “to communicate and coordinate everyday activities with friends they also met regularly. Facebook was used for making appointments, inviting to parties, telling about concerts or other events to which they wanted their friends to come” (Hilsen and Helvik 4). Whereas the adult user, utilizes Facebook in a more conservative fashion and chooses to be more guarded with personal information.

Which leads into, how does a user decide upon what information to share or what type of image does the user want to display? Remember, Facebook gives the “ability to make public comments about other users…by commenting on a posted status, picture, or link, or by writing directly on a friend’s wall”. “These contributions are for the most part favorable, however friends have also been known to post discrediting and/or defamatory messages on users’ Facebook walls” (Ballantine, Lin, and Veer 50). Comments and “likes” can affect all user types positively or negatively.

Let us examine “Facebook envy”. This is obviously a negative affect of Facebook. Envy is defined as the feeling of wanting to have what someone else has. According to Brian Williams, who delivered the NBC News, “Researchers call it Facebook envy. It’s the act of viewing all of your friends’ fabulous vacations, lovely children, attractive friends and great social lives. The research showed it can leave people feeling-you guessed it-lonely, frustrated and angry” (Shea). It can be hard to not compare your life to the pictures and postings that you see and read. This happens though to all user types. When a person compares them self to another it can cause feelings of subordination or defeat which can lead to depression. A study conducted on college students showed that “college students using Facebook for surveillance purposes are purposely utilizing SNS to consume others’ personal information. They are far more likely to come across details that will trigger feelings of envy” (Tandoc Jr., Duffy, Ferrucci 144).

Facebook also affects user self-esteem. Any type of user can experience moments of low self-esteem however, teenagers are more susceptible due to the fact that they are going through puberty and are more self conscience and compare themselves to their peers. An example of low self-esteem is exhibited through “untagging” and removing oneself from an unflattering photo therefore maintaining that “perfect” profile image. Ethan Kross, an Associate Professor at the University of Michigan, found that “the more people used Facebook during one-time period, the worse they subsequently felt, the more they used Facebook over 2-weeks, the more their life satisfaction levels declined over time” (Lee et al. 480). An example of high self-esteem would be sharing photos, thoughts, and ideas.

Another question could be, how are romantic relationships affected? Well, Facebook allows you to become integrated with your significant others family, friends, co-workers, and classmates. Positively, it can be the communication vehicle in a long distance relationship whether that is through public posts or private messages, utilizing “Messenger”. “Relationship status is considered to be one of the most important features on Facebook.” “Specifically positive comments generate favorable attitudes toward the status, while negative comments lead to less favorable attitudes, despite the nature of the status” (Ballantine, Lin, Veer 51). Also researchers have studied couples and the effects of Facebook on their relationships. It was discovered that, "the more satisfied participants felt with their marriages, and the more closer that people felt to their spouses, the more frequently they reported posting a dyadic profile picture" (Saslow et al. 412). Also these happy couples also had a tendency to share positive relationship status updates on Facebook.

The negative side of using Facebook in your relationship are the feelings of jealously, anxiety, and uncertainty. “Sites like Facebook have provided young people with a continuous stream of status updates and photos that can act as a digital perch from which they can look down and monitor the activities of their friends and family, as well as their romantic and ex-romantic partners” (Nitzburg and Farber 1183). Those couples that have encountered relationship problems like infidelity and/or distrust tend to “stalk” their partners accounts searching for evidence. Jealousy arises from misinterpreted postings, acceptances of attractive users, and previewing user accounts of ex-girlfriends/boyfriends. This jealous user can be pushed toward Facebook addiction. Studies have also taken a look at jealousy and the use of emoticons. Results showed that, "males were more jealous when a winking emoticon was present, while females were more jealous when no emoticon was present" (Hudson et al. 87). According to Dr. Seidman, “Facebook can have both positive and negative affects on relationships, but it all depends on what type of person you are and how you use the social networking site. If you tend to be jealous and untrusting or tend to overuse Facebook, then it could make things worse for your relationships. Facebook can be used as a positive tool, and one that relationship develops, Facebook can help you maintain a healthy relationship” (Seidman).

To conclude, it is interesting how something that was designed to be positive and bring people together can cause feelings of envy, jealousy, and inferiority. Since this is a program that seems to be here to stay it is important that users are educated on the negative affects. As psychologists continue to research these negative affects Facebook has on users, it would be helpful if they could develop strategies to help users cope with their feelings.