Facebook use linked to teen psych disorders

Computerworld - Using Facebook and other social networks can have some significant negative effects on teenagers and young adults, says a California State University researcher.

Actually, using sites like Facebook can be linked to some serious psychological disorders, like narcissism for teenagers, and antisocial behaviors, mania and aggressive tendencies with young adults, says Dr. Larry Rosen, professor of psychology at California State University, Dominguez Hills.

Rosen presented his findings, which he pointed out are new and not yet ready for publication, at an American Psychological Association conference in Washington, D.C. last week.

He noted in his presentation that teenagers and young adults are highly attached to their digital devices, spending a lot of time on social networking sites and often communicating with friends and relatives by text message instead of over the phone or face-to-face.

Rosen pointed out that 42% of teenagers say they can text blindfolded.

And he’s far from alone in talking about how much time people are spending on social sites and using devices.

Last summer, a study showed that 57% of the women polled said they communicate with people more online than they do face to face, and 39% called themselves Facebook addicts.

That study echoed another, released in March 2010, which showed that people are often obsessed with social networking sites, noting that 48% of those polled said they update their Facebook or Twitter accounts during the night or as soon as they wake up. It also found that 19% of people under the age of 25 post Facebook or Twitter updates anytime they wake up during the night.

Rosen said overdoing it on social networking sites can draw out negative emotional behaviors. However, he was quick to point out to Computerworld that he’s not trying to imply that Facebook creates psychological disorders. That has not been shown.

“We feel that either one of two mechanisms is at work here,” Rosen said. “If you already have narcissistic tendencies, these ‘behind the screen’ media will bring them out since you are not talking directly to people, only a screen. However, for the same reason it also encourages you to display those same signs and symptoms through your writing/posting/photos.”

Dan Olds, an analyst with The Gabriel Consulting Group, said he’s not surprised to hear these kind of results.

“New technology always gives users new ways to indulge both their best and worst traits,” Olds added. “Just as the telephone made it easier to reach out and touch someone, it also made it easier to reach out and annoy someone or act creepy. Social networking isn’t any different.”

Facebook has not yet responded to a request for comment.

Sharon Gaudin covers the Internet and Web 2.0, emerging technologies, and desktop and laptop chips for Computerworld. Follow Sharon on Twitter at  @sgaudin or subscribe to Sharon’s RSS feed . Her e-mail address is sgaudin@computerworld.com.

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Morning Tech Wrap: Facebook, Sprint, Google

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg at Davos; Image via Wikipedia

Facebook says it’s found strong evidence that Paul Ceglia, the New York man who claims he’s entitled to half of Mark Zuckerberg’s stake in the social network, is a fraud.

The company said its inspection of the computers and devices handed over by Paul Ceglia show “smoking gun” evidence of fraud. The forensic tests run by Facebook were court-ordered. U.S. Magistrate Judge Leslie Foschio in Buffalo, New York, ordered Ceglia to turn over his computers, hard drives and electronic storage media for tests. The contract and email that Ceglia says support his claim were also tested.

“Defendants have uncovered smoking-gun evidence that the purported contract at the heart of this case is a fabrication,” Facebook said in its court filing yesterday. The case began last year, when Ceglia sued Facebook and Zuckerberg over claims of a contract signed by Zuckerberg in 2003 that entitled Ceglia to half of the social networking site, Bloomberg reports.

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Sprint has unveiled its first $100 4G Android phone, the Samsung Conquer 4G. According to Tech Crunch, the launch of the Samsung Conquer 4G will be August 21, costing $100 provided customers sign a two-year deal.

The phone comes with a low-res front-facing camera, just 1.3 megapixels, and will run Android 2.3 Gingerbread. The rear camera is better though, at 3.2 megapixels and with flash and zoom.

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Photos posted online appear to show evidence of the first accident caused by Google’s self-drive car. A picture taken near Google’s Mountain View, California headquarters shows the company’s prototype self-drive car rear-ending another Toyota Prius. According to an eye-witness, the Prius hit a Honda Accord in turn, which then hit another Accord and a third Prius.

While self-drive cars are limited by law across the U.S., they are allowed with restrictions in California. Google recently persuaded the state legislature of Nevada to allow a special license permitting self-driving cars on the state’s freeways, Jalopnik reports.

“Safety is our top priority. One of our goals is to avoid fender-benders like this one, which occurred while a person was manually driving the car,” Google said in a statement to Business Insider.

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A self-described spam king has surrendered to the FBI after being indicted for breaking into Facebook accounts to send 27 million spam emails. Sanford Wallace, 43, allegedly used a phishing attack to steal usernames and passwords from victims before using the credentials to spam victims’ Facebook walls.

Wallace allegedly made money using this method to drive traffic to sites that pay for referrals. According to PC World, the self-professed “spam king” has faced previous lawsuits from Myspace, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission and Facebook. Facebook won its $711 million civil judgment against Wallace, and he was banned from the social networking site as part of that judgment. The latest criminal indictment accuses Wallace of contempt of court for allegedly logging on during a 2009 flight to Las Vegas.

“We applaud the efforts of the US Attorney’s Office and the FBI to bring spammers to justice,” Facebook said in a statement. “Now Wallace faces serious jail time for this illegal conduct.” Wallace reportedly could get more than 16 years in prison, if convicted.

 

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