Does Facebook Affect Our Self-Esteem?

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that, if your well-being is affected because you are being ignored on Facebook, the problem isn't Facebook.

New research published in the journal Social Influence looked at how Facebook communication impacts on feelings of social belonging which in turn affects outlook on life; loneliness and self-worth. Researchers, led by Dr Stephanie Tobin from The University of Queensland's School of Psychology, conducted two studies centered on 'lurking' or passive Facebook participation and on ostracism, aiming to analyze how participants would feel when deliberately 'snubbed'.

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I rate this two WTFs.....
If FB has ANY influence on your perception of self worth you need professional help period.
That is kind of like getting junk mail causes you to cry because you didn't get a personal letter.

Nor is it a problem. It's well within "normal" human nature to seek social engagement and interpersonal affiliation, regardless of age or social status. How is FB any different then a bar, or a skate park, or any other social environment? Because it's online, doesn't mean that we, as humans, desire social networks and connections. It's perfectly normal for some to feel "shunned" or "disengaged" when they feel they're being ignored. How different is being ignored on FB, and your friends not returning your calls to hang out, or a girl/guy giving your the cold shoulder at the bar? Most people feel bad, and that feeling bad has another response.

JohnRico said:

Nor is it a problem. It's well within "normal" human nature to seek social engagement and interpersonal affiliation, regardless of age or social status. How is FB any different then a bar, or a skate park, or any other social environment? Because it's online, doesn't mean that we, as humans, desire social networks and connections. It's perfectly normal for some to feel "shunned" or "disengaged" when they feel they're being ignored. How different is being ignored on FB, and your friends not returning your calls to hang out, or a girl/guy giving your the cold shoulder at the bar? Most people feel bad, and that feeling bad has another response.

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Social media dismantles normal social interaction and provides sudo interaction.
It isn't real because people are disconnected from it.
So people will post things, make remarks they wouldn't say to someone's face for fear of a fat lip or the the fact you will see hurt in the other person's eyes.
So are these things done maliciously? Does it bring out the evil in people? Well, in a way yes. The level of civility is tossed out because you don't have to deal with these things first hand, face to face.
It really is a myth that people are "basically good". That is not true.
That is a choice people make everyday and moment by moment.

What the hell are you talking about? lol.

Okay, so, I think you're trying to say it changes how people learn and adapt a moral code. Yea? Well... not really. So, over the course of our lives, our moral codes changes and adapts to situations; it matures. Take for example, a teenager to young adult (like, 15 to 21) Which is High School to College Sophmore. (Roughly.) Their moral codes are are more or less along the lines of interpersonal accord and conformity driven, or Stage 3 w/ Kohlburg's theory of moral development. How does using FB change, or disorder, any of that?

If they "feel" connected, they're connected. Regardless of how we may perceive FB or any online community. And thus, have a normal response to bad behavior and a normal response to "good" behavior.

JohnRico said:

What the hell are you talking about? lol.

Okay, so, I think you're trying to say it changes how people learn and adapt a moral code. Yea? Well... not really. So, over the course of our lives, our moral codes changes and adapts to situations; it matures. Take for example, a teenager to young adult (like, 15 to 21) Which is High School to College Sophmore. (Roughly.) Their moral codes are are more or less along the lines of interpersonal accord and conformity driven, or Stage 3 w/ Kohlburg's theory of moral development. How does using FB change, or disorder, any of that?

If they "feel" connected, they're connected. Regardless of how we may perceive FB or any online community. And thus, have a normal response to bad behavior and a normal response to "good" behavior.

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Can you really know someone you have never met?
Would you share intimate details of your life with this person?
Multiply this with FB friends and friendships based on sudo-friendships.
Being outgoing really isn't a natural or easy thing for some people.
There is a certain level of anxiety that has to be suppressed. There are hurdles you must overcome. You have to personally overcome the disappointment of not being liked, or not fitting in. But this is a part of functioning in society. We all have our quirks; but to the people that you really know and love they are accepted because that is what make you, you.
But is this the same in the sudo-relationship world of social media?
All these things are skewed.

Not exactly.

You're right that I, or you, would personally feel above, or we're more mature. I don't share intimate details of my life, nor do I trust easily. Because i've learned not to from being burned more than once. That's also very normal.

But you and I aren't the subjects of this study. I personally have moved to post-conventional morality, and your conventionality has changed, too.

But i'm referring to the process that people need to go through. They have to experience life to be burned, and they have to be burned to learn. Some learn differently and some learn different lessons. But learning is essential. And so is experiencing life.

The point of this article is that those experiences, the social tools and mediums have changed and shifted to online communities. You and I may believe, and rightfully so, that meaningful discourse happens face to face, and we're right because that's what we've learned.

But the newer, younger, generation has shifted those sorts of mediums and social communities to FB and other online communities. They have yet to learn those things.

Well said

I like the last few posts (6 and 7).

Social mediums moving to the internet (as opposed to real life) can potentially be dangerous. Everything is a click away.

Remember those spoiled rich kids who never got spanked or told anything 'negative'? The same thing can easily happen through the Internet. Don't like a comment someone gave you? Block 'em and delete their post. This develops a very bad strictly hedonistic/self-feel-good-only type habit (or lifestyle).

some really great commentary here, unfortunately they also suggest a bleak future of society.