Kianne H.

Figure 1: Freestocks.org. “Gold iPhone 6 With Note Pads.” Pexels.com, https://www.pexels.com/photo/gold-iphone-6-with-note-pads-744464/.

If I was to randomly ask people around campus, “what is Facebook?”, I believe every single person would be able to provide me with, at least, a general definition. If I asked, “do you or someone you know have a Facebook account?” I also can confidently assume that each person would answer yes. The reason I have such confidence on their answers is because, since being released fourteen years ago, Facebook has quickly become the largest Social Networking Site (henceforth SNS) on the internet hosting around 1.5 billion users (Marino et al 51). 1.5 billion is a very high proportion of the world’s population therefore, I suspect that many students have or know someone with a Facebook account. If I was to ask the same student or group of students, “would you consider anyone I your life a Facebook addict?” I can’t necessarily predict their answers with the same assurance as before. While I want to presume their answers would be yes, “not all people who spend large amounts of time on Facebook every day are necessarily addicted” (Kanat-Maymon et al 232) so it is difficult to accurately answer yes or no.

With 1.5 billion active users on Facebook and more users registering each day, it is not surprising that Facebook is the largest SNS in the world. A 2018 article on Facebook use claims that, “Every minute on [Facebook], 510,000 comments are posted, 293,000 statuses are updated, and 136,000 photos are uploaded” (Biolcati et al 1). People are spending a large amount of time on Facebook, seeking social satisfaction through the likes and comments on their posts, leading to more and more becoming addicted.

Figure 2: Rawpixel.com. “Four People Holding Mobile Phones.” Pexels.com. https://www.pexels.com/photo/four-people-holding-mobile-phones-1083622/.

Personally, I have found myself in situations where I am with friends and everybody around me is on their phone. They have no interest in socializing with the people around them and instead of building and maintaining personal relationships in the moment, they socialize virtually with other people over SNS like Facebook. I could name multiple people in my life who are addicted to Facebook including my parents and some of my friends. The problem is the decrease in personal face-to-face conversations and the impact on the quality and number of relationships because individuals are spending large amounts of time behind screens.

A 2018 study explains some of the many factors contributing to Facebook addiction. Although there are many, I will address only a few including loneliness, extraversion, and neuroticism. Loneliness contributes to higher chances of succumbing to Facebook addiction because, “lonely individuals turn to FB to find companionship and relief from problems and worries related to socialization” (Biolcati et al 7). When people are lonely they will often look to build relationships and find happiness in a variety of places, like through Facebook, and the satisfaction of connecting, whether virtually or not, encourages more Facebook use. Furthermore, extraversion and neuroticism are other personality traits that can influence Facebook addiction. Just as Facebook serves as a relationship platform for people who experience loneliness, it also “provides another platform for extraverts to communicate with friends and contacts made off-line” (Biolcati et al 8). When extroverts need a communication outlet and are not surrounded by people, they will likely use social media as a communication outlet. Neurotic individuals may also be influenced to use Facebook as an outlet for their anxious feelings or perhaps to present themselves in a way that is entirely controlled by what they choose to post. “Due to their social anxiety” neurotic individuals often prefer “social networking communication… due to their social anxiety” (Biolcati et al 8). Studies show that “extraverted and neurotic individuals [are] at [a] higher risk for maladaptive use of SNSs like Facebook” (Kanat-Maymon et al 233).

Figure 3: Dziuba, Tobias. “Photo of Laptop near Plant.” Pexels.com. https://www.pexels.com/photo/photo-of-laptop-near-plant-927629/

Facebook addiction has many consequences. For one, people addicted to social media “may find that it is difficult for them to focus their attention on other activities without thinking about things that they want to do [on] social media” (Sriwilai, and Charoensukmongkol 428). People who are victim to Facebook addiction find it increasingly difficult to practice mindfulness. They can’t be present through a situation or experience because their screens are so tempting. They struggle with the “ability to be mindful to what they are doing… because of the distraction caused by the urge to access social media” (Sriwilai, and Charoensukmongkol 428). A study of the impacts of social media addiction states that another consequence is social exhaustion. The article claims, that addiction to social media services, such as Facebook, can be associated with emotional exhaustion because people are “attentive to one’s thoughts and feelings without reacting upon them” and because of social media, they can “easily let go of any negative thought and feeling that they are experiencing and be less affected by it” (Sriwilai, and Charoensukmongkol 429). The consequences that come from addiction to SNSs like Facebook can severely impact the emotional and mental stability of any person who spends an overwhelming amount of time on social media.

Facebook is a social media site that billions of people have access to and because of its features, many become addicted. Although I have only presented the drawbacks of SNS use, I would like to briefly mention that SNSs like Facebook do have benefits. For example, Facebook has allowed me, and many others, to stay in contact with many friends across the world and serves as a platform for sharing information and communicating with groups and other members. Facebook does have benefits, but it is important to remain cautious with the amount of time you spend on the SNS as well as the intentions behind it.

If you’re a lonely individual, have neurotic tendencies, or are a major extrovert I caution you to be careful with the time you spend on Facebook. Ensuring that you are not putting an excessive amount of time and energy into when and how you appear online could save you from the mental and emotional harm that comes with Facebook and SNS addiction.

Bibliography

Biolcati, Roberta et al. “Facebook Addiction: Onset Predictors”. Journal Of Clinical

Medicine, vol 7, no. 6, 2018, pp. 1-12. MDPI AG, doi:10.3390/jcm7060118.

Kanat-Maymon, Yaniv et al. “Contingent Self-Worth And Facebook

Addiction”. Computers In Human Behavior, vol 88, 2018, pp. 227-235. Elsevier BV, doi:10.1016/j.chb.2018.07.011.

Marino, Claudia et al. “Modeling The Contribution Of Personality, Social Identity And

Social Norms To Problematic Facebook Use In Adolescents”. Addictive Behaviors, vol 63, 2016, pp. 51-56. Elsevier BV, doi:10.1016/j.addbeh.2016.07.001.

Sriwilai, Kanokporn, and Peerayuth Charoensukmongkol. “Face It, Don’t Facebook It:

Impacts Of Social Media Addiction On Mindfulness, Coping Strategies And The Consequence On Emotional Exhaustion”. Stress And Health, vol 32, no. 4, 2015, pp. 427-434. Wiley, doi:10.1002/smi.2637.

Sophia Charyna

In a course titled “The History and Future of the Book,” we have discussed the humble beginnings of language, writing, and the literary canon. In the remainder of this course, we will continue to explore what the future of the book looks like. Evidently, the digitization of books and scholarship has a remarkable impact on the publication, distribution, and borrowing of books and other materials.

Figure 1. From https://imgflip.com/memegenerator

When was the last time you went to a Public Library? As an English major, it’s a little embarrassing to say that I don’t remember the last time I did.

Also, embarrassing was my (until recent) belief in the stereotype “dying libraries.” English majors often encounter the constant questions of post-degree careers: “What are you going to do with that degree,” “teach English?”, “Work in a library? That’s not a career that’s going to last!” In an article written by an American librarian Kelli Cross, she accounts: “Public libraries have been busy. And getting busier. Per research conducted by the American Library Association, ‘in 2013, there were 1.5 billion in-person visits to public libraries across the U.S., the equivalent of more than 4 million visits each day. That’s 2,854 per minute’” (Cross). Due to the continuous evolution of libraries to suit the requirements and requests of the community they serve, they continue to have a patronage. Living within is a privileged group, I believe it is often easy to forget that the services offered by public libraries are essential to some intersectional groups of our city.

Figure 2. Beginner books, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beginner_Books#/media/File:Beginner-brightearlybookx.jpg

As a beginning reader, I wanted to read as much as possible, but my skill level and age kept me constrained to short books that were interesting to me. It didn’t make sense for my parents to buy every book that I read (I’d only read them once!). Having access to a public library provided me with a world of information, what felt like an endless supply of books, and the freedom to explore what I was interested in. For a long time, this was primarily children’s fiction that included magic, dragons, or preferably, both. Having this access, along with encouragement from my parents and teachers, made me a lifelong reader, and lover of books (which explains my choice of major).

Reflecting on the time the I spent in the library in my hometown with extremely positive memories — I can’t help but feel a little guilty for not continuing to use the public library as a resource. Talking to my peers and friends, many of us have expressed that we don’t visit the library as much as we used to.  Why is this?

One: I Read Less for “Fun”

A harsh reality of adulthood. And student-hood. When I decide on a book I’d like to read, I am far more likely to get it from a bookstore or borrow it from someone that I know.

Two: Libraries are Different

With these changes that have been made to public libraries to become places of resource for those who need them, they have become less necessary for me. Leading to… #3.

Three: I Don’t Think I Need the Library

Libraries have had to adapt to a digital generation. Libraries within the Saskatoon Public System offer Books and Magazines, as well as extensive offerings of digital options, technology rentals, the only free public access to the internet as well as video game rentals, music and other forms of media. Perhaps, I have felt less inclined to access public library services, because I am privileged to have access to the internet at home, as well as streaming services for digital media such as Netflix and Spotify.

Figure 3. Saskatoon Library. From https://saskatooncentrallibrary.ca/gallery

Surely with the changes that libraries have made for the times, there are new uses to discover. First, I went to the Saskatoon Public Library Website. Turns out my library card is expired, so first thing on the agenda was to get a new one. I was prepared to drive to my local library and sign up, but I could sign up for one online. With a Library Card (digitally) in hand, I began to explore what was available to me. SPL has a full digital library of high-quality audiobooks for rental, as well as Ebooks, TV, movies, and other digital media. In physical libraries, they offer free internet access, computer access, and other technology for borrowing. In addition to each of these, there are exceptional services available online and in person. Some options I found included: “Your Next Great Read,” which invites a patron to provide a list of interests, and books that they enjoy, and a librarian who specializes in that area or genre will suggest other titles you may have never heard of.  If you are interested in starting a Book Club, they offer a “Book Club in a Bag,” that provides multiple copies of the same novel as well as guiding questions for discussion.

Libraries are essential components of communities. Often, especially in small towns, they are a central building, with multiple uses, that is important to many intersections within those communities. In Saskatoon, public libraries are one of a few places that offer free access to technology and the internet, in addition to books, public archives, magazines, movies, television, and video games.  Libraries are built with multi-use spaces that can be used for community gathering, artistic exploration, and education. From programs for Adult literacy education, to Youth Poetry Slams, the library is a gathering place for children, creatives, and academics. Knowing what resources are available, I aim to use them more, and with a renewed appreciation of a libraries place in a community, I intend to promote the continued funding and support of the institution.

Works Referenced and Cited:    

“Adults.”  Saskatoon Public Library. https://saskatoonlibrary.ca/adults. Accessed February 13, 2019.

Cross, Kelli. “Libraries: Dying or Thriving?” Medium, https://medium.com/@kellicross/libraries-dying-or-thriving-b5400208cb0b. Accessed February 14, 2019.

“Digital Library.” Saskatoon Public Library.  https://saskatoonlibrary.ca/digital-library. Accessed February 14, 2019.

“The Role of Modern Libraries” SPL Connects, https://saskatooncentrallibrary.ca/modern-libraries. Accessed February 13, 2019.