Facebook: Taking The "Civil" Out Of "Civilization"

My perspective as a former programmer-turned-mental-health-expert

(1 minute read)

I find it both fascinating and a little disturbing that Facebook has become so intertwined in our daily lives. It has become a prism through which people see others and themselves which colors perceptions of reality. It has become a ruler that makes or breaks people's self worth (including mine at one time). It has become a scale by which people measure popularity and social status. It has become a conduit through which people seek validation from others, however artificial it may be, which bypasses actual human connection. It has become a conveyor belt which glorifies and shifts narcissism into the spotlight while marginalizing and de-emphasizing authenticity. It has become an electronic drug that can have a corrosive effect on mental health for many. Though it has it's good side too for those who have a healthy self-concept, it can be a nightmare for those who are not in a stable mental state (which is a growing percentage of our population in my opinion and included myself at one time). The question still remains: Is it the platform itself or the way that people use the platform? I think it's a little bit of both. As someone who built websites for over 2 decades including database-driven web applications which in reality is all FB is albeit a very large and increasingly complex one, I can tell you that at the end of the day...it's just a website. Don't give it more power than it deserves.