Facebook and the communication meltdown

A “Facebookaholic” is defined as a person whose chronic dependence on Facebook leads to interference with health and to social and economic problems. But the problems don’t end there. According to a study released yesterday from the University of Guelph in Canada, this Facebook-mania might have an effect on more than just one’s well-being. It could also end a relationship. The social psychologists’ latest research found that Facebook “may be responsible for creating jealousy and suspicion in romantic relationships.”

When you add mobile to the equation, the Facebook-ing problem can easily border on addiction. With mobile, jealous boyfriends and girlfriends have real-time access to Facebook wall posts and new pictures before a significant other even has a chance at damage control. Granted, this study only included college students, but it raises an interesting point about how social networks, like Facebook, can affect — even alter — our relationships with other human beings, personal or otherwise.

With so many forms of mobile social networking designed to enhance communication, we’re actually witnessing a breakdown in communication. Social networks have become the authority where users can not only know a friend’s every move, but also that of their favorite celebrity. Even corporations and the Marines have been forced to take notice of social networks for fear that employees are divulging too much. Meanwhile, Twitter is fast becoming the go-to site where users can say too much without really saying anything at all.

Strengthening its social networking empire and making it a formidable competitor to Twitter, Facebook last night confirmed it has acquired FriendFeed, an online sharing service created by several ex-Googlers. Facebook has already added a lot of FriendFeed’s functionality to its site, including real-time updates and the ability to “like” posts. The service brings together all of a user’s social networks, including Twitter, Digg, blogs and photo-sharing sites, so that an update on any one site will automatically show up through an aggregated FriendFeed stream. The companies haven’t exactly said what the acquisition will bring, but one thing you can bet on is that more communication overload will be a side effect.