Number Of
Users Who Actually Enjoy Facebook Down To 4
WASHINGTON—A comprehensive and groundbreaking new report
released Monday by the Pew Research Center’s Internet and American Life Project
has found that only four users of Facebook derive pleasure of any kind from the
popular social networking website.
WASHINGTON—A comprehensive and groundbreaking new report
released Monday by the Pew Research Center’s Internet and American Life Project
has found that only four users of Facebook derive pleasure of any kind from the
popular social networking website.
According to the report, the
remainder of the 950 million people registered with Facebook, despite using the
site on a regular basis, take no joy in doing so, and in fact feel a profound
sense of hopelessness and despair immediately upon logging in.
“An exhaustive analysis of our
data indicates that Facebook does indeed have a positive impact on the
day-to-day lives of Susannah Brambrink of Milwaukee, Tom Peros of San Diego,
Eugene Phipps of Albuquerque, and Karen Fairbanks of rural Missouri,” lead
researcher John Elliott said. “But all other users—literally all of them—are
overpowered by a deep, nameless sadness when exposed to the site, and
apparently only visit it out of some sick, inexplicable compulsion bordering on
masochism.”
Added Elliott, “As it turns out,
the vast majority of human beings tend to become depressed when they see the
past five years of their life summarized right there in front of them in a sad
little timeline.”
Indeed, the Pew report found that
99 percent of Facebook members could not recall having enjoyed any of the
social network’s features at any time since 2009. Of that subset, 74 percent
said they had asked themselves “How has my life come to this?” while checking
the website multiple times per day, 67 percent said they were “inevitably
plunged into an alternating cycle of vanity and self-disgust” when reviewing
tagged pictures of themselves, and 52 percent said they had questioned the
whole point of life itself after spending half an hour on the site only to
realize the most interesting thing they had seen the entire time was a photo of
what someone had for dinner.
In addition, more than
three-quarters of users said they had “legitimately considered suicide” while
watching politically charged arguments unfold in response to a Facebook post.
Reached for comment, two of the
four people still able to spend time on Facebook without immediately
calculating how much of their life they just let slip away spoke to reporters
about their use of the site.
“Anytime I get a free moment, the
first thing I do is check Facebook on my phone,” said Susannah Brambrink, 28,
one of the last users on the face of the earth who can routinely update her
profile without fearing that the smallest details of her personal life will be
relentlessly mocked and ridiculed. “It’s just a fun way to stay in touch with
friends and family, so I usually check it once or twice a day, if not more.”
“Sometimes I’ll be on there for
an hour or more, just browsing people’s profiles,” continued Brambrink, who,
unlike the other 214 million single women surveyed, said she was unconcerned by
the possibility of finding out her ex-boyfriend was in a new relationship and
having her heart ripped out of her chest all over again. “It’s cool to go back
and see what somebody posted a year ago.”
Tom Peros, another of the four
users for whom Facebook is not a constant source of anxiety fueled by
narcissism and self-doubt, expressed a similar sentiment, saying it “just feels
good” to read people’s status updates, a feature on the site that shows users
how many things in life they’re missing out on and how many experiences they’re
likely never to have.
Sources confirmed Peros is also
able to explore his friends’ Facebook profiles without growing completely despondent
in the face of information that documents exactly how people who were once
close can drift further and further apart until they barely recognize each
other and the only thing still uniting them is the superficial thread of social
media.
“I love finding old classmates
and seeing what they’re up to,” said Peros, who regularly skims the “Work and
Education” section of profiles without reaching the soul-crushing conclusion
that his own accomplishments are pathetic by comparison. “And if I’m not friends
with them already, I’ll send them a request. I figure, what’s to lose? Even if
you’re rejected, it’s presumably just because they don’t remember you, or else
like to keep their friend list limited to people they know really well. Why
else would they reject you? Right?”
At press time, the number of
users who enjoy Facebook had reportedly dropped to three.
Grateful
To: TheOnion

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