Posted on 01/27/2013 6:18:24 PM PST by Sir Napsalot
(Reuters) - Witnessing friends' vacations, love lives and work successes on Facebook can cause envy and trigger feelings of misery and loneliness, according to German researchers.
A study conducted jointly by two German universities found rampant envy on Facebook, the world's largest social network that now has over one billion users and has produced an unprecedented platform for social comparison.
The researchers found that one in three people felt worse after visiting the site and more dissatisfied with their lives, while people who browsed without contributing were affected the most.
"We were surprised by how many people have a negative experience from Facebook with envy leaving them feeling lonely, frustrated or angry," researcher Hanna Krasnova from the Institute of Information Systems at Berlin's Humboldt University told Reuters.
"From our observations some of these people will then leave Facebook or at least reduce their use of the site," said Krasnova, adding to speculation that Facebook could be reaching saturation point in some markets.
Researchers from Humboldt University and from Darmstadt's Technical University found vacation photos were the biggest cause of resentment with more than half of envy incidents triggered by holiday snaps on Facebook.
Social interaction was the second most common cause of envy as users could compare how many birthday greetings they received to those of their Facebook friends and how many "likes" or comments were made on photos and postings.
"Passive following triggers invidious emotions, with users mainly envying happiness of others, the way others spend their vacations and socialize," the researchers said in the report "Envy on Facebook: A Hidden Threat to Users' Life Satisfaction?" released on Tuesday.
(Excerpt) Read more at reuters.com ...
I would be interested to know some demographic statistics of the 600 test subjects. Can the majority of those be young immature and (mostly) women?
Yeah, my friend has a doublewide and I have only a singlewide.
Naaaaaaaaaa.......I just steal my grandkid’s pictures AND! My new “humor me” is going to Feinstein’s page and read the thousands of people who are REALLY REALLY mad at her.
Try it! ;)
Frankly, no. When I see pics from a friend in an exotic location, I feel like I got to go there on an armchair ride. I enjoy it. I love seeing photos of my friends’ kids and sharing mine. What I hate about FB are all the ads, the threats to privacy, etc. I love the people connection, hate FB itself for its intrusiveness.
I was dragged to FB by friends years after most of them. I have come to like seeing what is up in real time. It’s not a time waster because if I’m busy I don’t go on it. I don’t regret it and it doesn’t make me envious. I like my life.
Ooh, BG! I am gonna go look right now!
Nah... It makes me hate cats even more...
And no one ever lies on FB
You’ll enjoy yourself! No need to comment... just read.
They are MORE in your face than we are here, by far.
What’s Facebook?
The place that’s being taken over, little by little, by conservatives, probably posting under pseudo names.
If Envy rules your life, it does not take Facebook to cause the damage to your life.
I like FB to see what the grandkids are into.
I also heard from my daughter that FB is losing it’s attraction for the teens.They’re into something else,(the name escapes me).
I had given it 5 years,maybe I was wrong.
.
No envy here never visit the place!
I’m so jealous....I only have a half-wide.
I canceled FB when my fat unwanted Ex’s started showing up.
Facebook is the stupidest thing anyone ever thought up!
A gigantic "new media" entity that the Baraqqis have used (along with Google and Wikipedia) to plant their "progessive" theology deep into America's youth. Ignore it at your risk.
>>Yeah, my friend has a doublewide and I have only a singlewide<<
But enough about wives...
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