FACEBOOK: FRIEND OR FOE?

Raise your hand if you have a Facebook account. Yep, just as I imagined- hands are popping up all over the place! Because after all, who doesn’t love Facebook? It’s a fabulous platform for sharing details of your life with those you love, no matter how far away from you they may be. We can trade photos, jokes and information all within the blink of an eye, and we can be a part of our friends’ lives with just a click of a button. But what happens when the non-stop rollercoaster of social media interaction starts to become too much? What do we do when it becomes too hard to Just. Switch. Off?

American psychologist and gender expert, Leonard Sax, believes that adolescent girls are much more likely to struggle with Facebook addiction than their male peers, and also run a higher risk of becoming depressed from their Facebook use. Why? Because teenage girls are more likely to post only ‘happy’ things on Facebook for others to see. So how can we make sure Facebook is used in a positive way?

In an interview with Canadian journalist Kate Fillion, Sax argues that girls invest a lot of time into creating their online ‘persona,’ and it’s important to remember this if you start to compare yourself to your peers on Facebook.

“Some girls will essentially present themselves as a brand, polishing an image of themselves that’s all surface: how you look and what you did yesterday, not who you are and who you want to be,” Sax told Fillion.

“That leads to a sense of disconnection, because in most cases these girls don’t even realise that their persona is not who they are. They’re just focused on striving to please their market.”

So when your news feed is full of girls gushing about their latest trip to the mall, or the crazy fun they had on the weekend, don’t be too disheartened: looks can be deceiving. It is important to remember that how people portray themselves on the outside may not be an exact reflection of how they’re actually feeling.

Keep your friendships healthy on Facebook and in real-life by not comparing yourself to what others are posting, and have regular face-to-face catch-ups with your friends. If you start to feel overwhelmed with Facebook, and as though you’re spending too much time scrolling through your news feed, take a break.

Log off, and go and take some time for yourself to relax. Visit a friend! Read a book! Listen to music! Go for a walk! Do something you love!

But whatever you do, don’t ever be fooled into thinking that your life is boring compared to your friends, and don’t let Facebook squander your real-life friendships. After all, social networking is supposed to be fun, and a way to enhance your existing friendships.

And if you ever feel like you need a break, you can always temporarily delete your account!

Lauren grew up in country South Australia, but was drawn to the alluring lights of Melbourne at the start of 2010, and she has never looked back. Now in her final year of her journalism degree, Lauren spends her free time trawling the laneways of Melbourne in search of new treasures. She is the ultimate girly-girl, and has an embarrassingly large collection of beauty products, perfumes, chick-lit and women’s magazines. She lives for fashion, and her collection of Jimmy Choo shoes are among her most precious possessions.

Lauren balances her girly habits with her AFL obsession, and trades cocktails and canapes for beer and pies on game day. If she’s not re-watching episodes of Sex and the City for the zillionth time, she is sitting in one of Melbourne’s fabulous cafes, daydreaming about her upcoming trip to New York, or slogging through a bikram yoga class. Lauren is inspired by florals, lace, travel, fresh flowers, and is often spotted jotting ideas down on any scrap of paper she can find. Click her to read her blog, La Belle Vie and follow her on Twitter @LaurenKruger26