WHY CAN’T YOU QUIT FACEBOOK

Many people say they’re going to quit Facebook. But they never do. Why is that? New research from Cornell University may help explain why. In June of 2014, researchers began a campaign called 99 Days of Freedom. Those interested could visit the site, upload the project’s logo as their profile photo and voluntarily pledge to disengage from Facebook for an entire 99 days. At the time the study was published, more than 40,000 people had taken the pledge. But in the end, many people didn’t make it 99 days. To determine why, the researchers sent surveys on the 33rd, 66th and 99th days of each pledge. After analyzing completed surveys, researchers were able to decode people’s motives for reengaging with Facebook sooner than promised. These, according to the Cornell study, are the four reasons it’s so hard to stay off the social platform:
1. You think it’s addictive. Those who believed Facebook was addictive were more likely to check in before the 99 days were up. When Facebook users consider Facebook a habit, they are more likely to act out the habit. One participant wrote, “In the first ten days, whenever I opened up an Internet browser, my fingers would automatically go to ‘F’.”
2. You care who’s watching. Facebookers who use the social network to affect how other people think about them were more likely to return before the pledge ended.
3. You’re in a bad mood. People who reported being in good moods were less likely to weasel out of the pledge. Although other research has found that Facebook can put you in a bad mood. If you’re feeling down, Facebook probably isn’t the best place to turn to for a pick-me-up.
4. Facebook is your one and only. When people had other social networks to visit, they had an easier time staying off of Facebook.
* It comes down to three words: ego, ego, ego.
* I’d call these results hashtag pathetic.
* Another reason is our sheep-like urge to follow the herd. Wait, did I say that?
* Just picture Mark Zuckerberg with billions of dollars. That should help you quit.
* So what are we waiting for? Let’s call Facebook addiction a disease so we can think of ourselves as victims.
* PHONE TOPIC: Have you been able to quit Facebook for good?