Facebook Disease

Discussion in 'Science and Technology' started by ZenKarma, May 21, 2018.

?

Do you have a facebook account?

  1. Yes

  2. No

Results are only viewable after voting.
  1. ~Zen~

    ~Zen~ Ancient Mariner Administrator

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    I've been writing the following for awhile, watching as the world's largest granfalloon finally gets the scrutiny it so deserves.

    You can call it a disease, or an uneasiness, general queasiness, whatever, I find Facebook to be sickening. It is greedy, grasping your time and attention, and constantly reminds you to connect with an old friend you may have good reason to forget.

    Worse than that, a long-lost distant family relative may show up wanting a handout, or at the very least a place to stay. Some might want that kind of attention, those who gaze fondly upon their own visage every time they pass a mirror, others wish to be left alone.

    The wise are not laughing at the way folks spend their time obsessing over the latest social media meme.
    The American cultural icon, Moby, sums it all up quite succinctly in an animated video for his song “Are You Lost In The World Like Me?” Check it out, the world goes mad for their smartphones and all fall into the abyss like lemmings into the sea.



    This type of dependence syndrome is sweeping the nation, and is deliberately thrust upon us by the corporate demons at such places as EvilCorp, Google, Apple and Samsung. Even Microsoft has tried to jump onto the smartphone phenomenon.

    Decades ago I witnessed a startling glimpse of the future when cruising a freeway in the Las Vegas area and seeing four people riding in a car, each on different cell phones. Were they talking to each other I wondered as they weaved and wandered in the lanes of traffic seemingly oblivious to others?

    The reality was that they were all off in worlds apart from each other in spite of occupying the same space.

    Clinical psychologist Lisa Merlo says, "Some patients pretend to talk on the phone or fiddle with apps to avoid eye contact or other interactions at a party."

    Now another generation was raised to think this is normal behavior, further depersonalizing and isolating us from each other.

    The author, James Katz, writes: "They [mobile phones] have transformed social practices and changed the way we do business, yet surprisingly we have little perception on their effect in our lives."

    The reality is worse than one might want to think.

    More than 25% of the people surveyed by Gazelle magazine said they 'almost always' use their smartphone while in a social setting such as during a meal or during a party. My family would let the phone ring during dinner when we grew up. No one dared answer it lest they incur the wrath of Dad.

    And yet we do all this despite the realization that overusing cell phones increases one's risk of cancer. There is a lot of research proving an association with headaches, impaired memory and concentration, fatigue, dizziness and disturbed sleep.

    Wikipedia states these are all symptoms of radiation sickness. Just like the fictional fate of the character 'Chuck' in the show “Better Call Saul,” some people may develop an extreme sensitivity to electromagnetic fields.

    Users of social media platforms like Facebook are becoming addicted to their smartphones in astonishing numbers. Almost everyone is using their smartphone for everything from a phone to watching videos, reading books and viewing media, and playing mindless games which keep them 'occupied' and slavishly devoted to their devices.

    Having trouble sleeping of late? Swedish research shows smartphone use before bed can cause insomnia. There is a lot of research also on the damaging effects of the blue light on sleep patterns. Ever notice how brilliantly blue things shine on a smartphone? It is yet another feature carefully engineered to keep you hanging onto and using your device 24/7/365.

    The flipside of all this never-ending stream of information is nomophobia!

    You may ask what is that???!!!

    Nomophobia is an anxiety disorder that blossoms out of control when one is deprived of cellphone or Internet service. An abbreviation of "no-mobile-phone phobia,” It was originally described during a 2008 study in the UK evaluating anxieties suffered by mobile phone users.

    “The study found that nearly 53% of mobile phone users in Britain tend to be anxious when they lose their mobile phone, run out of battery or credit, or have no network coverage.” - Wikipedia

    Like others, I have a smartphone. It's there on the table, but as of now I don't walk about with it, so be prepared to leave voice messages if you actually call that number. If it rings I'll stroll by and see who called. If it beeps I'll see the text message on the screen. That doesn't mean I will actually do anything as a result, but it's there just in case.
     
    Pete's Draggin' and MeAgain like this.
  2. Noserider

    Noserider Goofy-Footed Member

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    God's honest truth? No joke...

    I've become more addicted to my phone since joining Hip Forums.
     
  3. Aerianne

    Aerianne Lifetime Supporter Lifetime Supporter

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    I think the question sounds more like "Do You Have A Smart Phone?".
     
    ZenKarma likes this.
  4. ~Zen~

    ~Zen~ Ancient Mariner Administrator

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    Yeah, I got off-topic by going to the smartphone phenomenon...although the two seem to go hand in hand, everywhere you go!

    I am kind of interested to see how many have facebook accounts, as well as hipforums membership.
     
    wilsjane and Aerianne like this.
  5. MeAgain

    MeAgain Dazed & Confused Lifetime Supporter Super Moderator

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    I have a Facebook account, I check it about once a month when I'm bored or when my wife tells me it's someone's birthday. Then I send them a happy birthday wish.

    It was okay for awhile when I retired as a lot of my former coworkers had accounts.
    But I got tired seeing who had cancer, lost their job, died, couldn't find work, etc....those were the older people.
    My younger relatives post really obscene stuff in my opinion, so I don't look at that.

    I do have a smartphone, Samsung Galaxy S3 I think. I got it when my mother was ill and I was traveling back and forth. It was free from Verizon for some reason. We were going to switch to Consumer Cellular but I found out Verizon locks its phones and we'd have to get new ones to go to CS, screw that.

    Now I use it to play Freecell or chess when I'm eating lunch. I have the data turned off, I do use WiFi from time to time.
    Also to take pictures now and then.
    I rarely get calls or texts, I have a secretary (wife) for that.

    My wife calls me from time to time at the flea market to see where I wandered off to.

    I can't look at Hip Forums on a cell phone, my brain gets all confused for some reason...even more than usual.
     
    ZenKarma likes this.
  6. Noserider

    Noserider Goofy-Footed Member

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    It's hard to answer in the poll, but I do, technically, have a FB account, but that's only because I care so little, I can't even be bothered to delete it. I'm not even sure I know the password anymore.
     
    ZenKarma likes this.
  7. wilsjane

    wilsjane Nutty Professor HipForums Supporter

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    My facebook account was terminated for inappropriate behavior.
    I had committed the cardinal sin of not logging on for more than a year and hence not making them any money. :worried::worried::worried: :yum::yum::yum:
     
    makihiko, ZenKarma and scratcho like this.
  8. Adamskiffle

    Adamskiffle Members

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    I have a facebook account but I don't use it obsessively (I just log on 3 or 4 times a day) for about 5 mins just to see what's happening.......it has it's uses and funny moments but I prefer these & other forums over FB & could easily live without it.
     
    ZenKarma likes this.
  9. Meliai

    Meliai Banned

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    I'm on facebook a total of like 5 minutes a day

    Otherwise i use my phone for hipforums, for reading the news, and for online shopping. And i'm probably on my phone more than I should be but i make a point to only use my phone when i'm alone. I cant stand when pepple are glued to their phones in social situations. I had lunch with my sister yesterday and she spent most of it looking up pictures of the royal wedding on her phone. It was really irritating.
     
    ZenKarma likes this.
  10. Noserider

    Noserider Goofy-Footed Member

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    I find that to be tacky and just plain bad manners.

    No offense to your sister though. Mine does the same thing. And it buuuuuugggssss...

    But that's the new culture our phones have created.
     
    ZenKarma likes this.
  11. McFuddy

    McFuddy Visitor

    Recently deleted mine. This website is pretty much the only social contact I'm allowing myself to have.
     
    rollingalong and ZenKarma like this.
  12. tumbling.dice

    tumbling.dice Visitor

    I check my FB account 2 or 3 times per week. I DO NOT, however, own a smartphone...nor will I ever. I deplore the damn things. I've stopped sitting in the break room at work; I'd just be surrounded by 20 or 30-somethings staring at their phones. I kid you not, I walked into the break room last week to get something out of the refrigerator and my friend Tiff was sending a picture of herself wearing nothing but panties to her boyfriend! In the damn break room!
     
    ZenKarma likes this.
  13. ~Zen~

    ~Zen~ Ancient Mariner Administrator

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    What a wonderful world we live in!!!!
     
  14. Tyrsonswood

    Tyrsonswood Senior Moment Lifetime Supporter

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    Never had a facebarf account....

    My phone is connected to the wall with wires like a phone is supposed to be.
     
  15. Vanilla Gorilla

    Vanilla Gorilla Go Ape

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    Smartphones have eliminated all those tedious parts of life though, waiting in queues for what ever, waiting in a doctors offices, the daily commute

    Pre smartphone era, at most you had a newspaper, or book, but if you get bored of that then no other option

    That part is certainly better, I cant remember the last time I got the shits waiting in a queue for too long, now I just look shit up on my phone


    Facebook itself is just yawn, a whole bunch of other stuff on the net is simply just more interesting
     
    ZenKarma likes this.
  16. Irminsul

    Irminsul Valkyrie

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    I'd love to answer this post but, I'm just reading something on FB. :)
     
    fundoo, ZenKarma and Orison like this.
  17. Alternative_Thinker

    Alternative_Thinker Darth Mysterious

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    I actually avoid accessing Facebook via my phone. I like to use my laptop for that. In fact, I'm not even all that active on Facebook to start with. I'm on there just so I can stay connected with my friends. I've never even liked Facebook. I liked MySpace, but not Facebook. My mother, though she's not part of any social networking sites, does appear to be more addicted to the smartphone use than anyone else in my family.
     
    ZenKarma likes this.
  18. Aerianne

    Aerianne Lifetime Supporter Lifetime Supporter

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    I have a facebook account. I use it to see pics of my grandkids.
     
    wilsjane likes this.
  19. I'minmyunderwear

    I'minmyunderwear Newbie

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    facebook was actually pretty fun at first, when it was just us college kids on it. then everyone's parents got involved.

    i still have an account. i have to, for work. i don't really use it for anything else though, maybe occasionally to browse through for a few minutes when i'm bored.

    smartphones are just great. i'm not one of those people that constantly checks stuff on that either, but it's super convenient to be able to go online when i'm not at a computer and look something up, or fix something for work, or whatever i may need to do. and it does come in handy occasionally when i have to sit and wait for something.
     
    ZenKarma likes this.
  20. Pete's Draggin'

    Pete's Draggin' Visitor

    I take muti-vitamins
    I try to eat right
    I try to have positive outlooks & feelings

    Im getting good exercise too.

    I hope I never get this disease.

    Off topic:
    I've also been vaccinated against....but not limited too:
    T*#tt*r
    I*#tagr*m
    S*#pch*t
     

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