Facebook

This documentary goes with the claims of the Facebook documentaries and discusses the dangers of Facebook and other social media platforms. All 3 documentaries cover the ethical concerns of privacy and what these apps can access.

Facebook: A Comparative Analysis 

Facebook was one of the first forms of social media, and people loved it. The thought of being connected and seeing what your friends and family are up to sounds like a great idea. Many of us still use Facebook today, despite its well-known faults. This shows how connected we all want to be and possibly how addicted we are, even though we’ve heard time and time again what Facebook does with data. Whether or not the use of social media makes us lonely is a person-to-person basis, but social media as a whole does play a large role in the feeling of loneliness. 

Both of the videos we watched about Facebook share about its beginnings and its rise into the platform it is today. Part one focuses on the origin of Facebook and its creation. Part 2 follows up with the consequences caused because of it, such as data mishaps and the spread of misinformation. Facebook has played a large role in shaping the information shared with the public and its influence in American politics. Additionally, they dive into how social media and Facebook in particular is making us more lonely as people. Now that Facebook is Meta and owns Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger, and Threads- they dominate much of the social media space. 

In part one, viewers can see how Facebook wants to gain engagement and grow rapidly, causing many issues. This is very greedy for them to do, and it’s caused many data issues. Whether or not that was intentional, we may never know. After all, if the government or some other entity wanted to get sensitive and real-life information from people and track what they do/like, this would be a great way to do it. Additionally, the 2016 election which lots of misinformation was shared, and the threat of foreign interference became a problem. This most likely happened because things being shared were not carefully monitored by its employees. 

This still raises many safety concerns to this day. Additionally, some people say they will never get on Facebook because of all the issues they have had, but those same people will have Instagram. Sadly, they are owned by the same company, and some people don’t even realize it. I think this goes to show our ignorance and inability to critically think in our society. Even if Instagram has not reportedly had as many issues as Facebook, they are still owned by the same parent company-Meta. 

These videos both prove and disprove that Facebook is making people lonely. It all depends on the person and how Facebook or any form of social media is being used. An example from my own life that proves both is: sometimes I use social media as a way to connect with others, and sometimes it becomes an unhealthy way of resting or coping with stress. For instance, doing a quick scroll on my home page on any social media app, I can see what my friends and family are up to. Additionally, owning my own photography business, I’ve been able to grow a following on TikTok and Instagram, find clients, and even meet and become friends with other local photographers. Both are great benefits to social media and how it was made to connect us. However, as these algorithms evolve and we get more used to using social media, we need more of it to get that dopamine hit. These algorithms are meant to be filled with videos we like and short enough for our fleeting attention spans. After all, the longer we stay on an app, the more the algorithm knows and tracks about us. Another unfortunate thing about Facebook and all of social media is that it does make us lonely by using it as a coping mechanism to stress or an escape from our lives. This is where loneliness, despair, comparison, and even depression and anxiety can creep in, whether we want it to or not. While Facebook does not explicitly say that it causes loneliness and mental health problems, studies shown in Part 2 argue that the correlation between time on Facebook and negative feelings is very present. It claims that it has more to do with an individual’s existing mental health conditions. Which is true to a point, but as our society becomes more digitalized and people become more addicted to screens, social media, and algorithms designed to keep us sucked in, these unwanted feelings will be evermore present. It’s not that Facebook directly causes it; it’s that these social media platforms have become an unhealthy means of escape. We as people need to do a better job of limiting our social media use and get back to being real people with real connections. It seems that as social media and online chatting have become more common, people especially the younger generations, have lost or never even learned how to hold a real conversation. 

While claims like “Facebook is making us lonely” and “Facebook isn’t making us lonely” can both be proved. It is important that people learn how to function without constant stimulus and use these social media platforms in healthy ways. Additionally, critical thinking is of utmost importance, especially nowadays. Social media takes that aspect away, and people will believe whatever they see posted, as long as it agrees with their point of view. This is very dangerous for our future as a society. Overall, when using social media, we should be aware of our feelings surrounding it and act accordingly.