You’ve heard many a discussion about the pros and cons of social media, I’m sure. We’ve hosted a number of conversations on the topic right here on this blog. And words such as “addiction” or “compulsion,” generally rear their heads at some point.
I’ve also seen lots of studies on the subject in the course of my work day. One from the University of Chicago stated that the urge to repeatedly check your Facebook page was more powerful than the temptation to smoke or drink. And while the desire for sex and sleep may still hold the top shelf spot in our brains, the urge to stay on top of one’s social networks was actually the toughest to resist.
I’ll be honest with you: Being only an occasional Facebook user myself, I’ve never thumped a table too forcefully with any opinion about the compulsion side of things. But this week, I read a story that at the very least had me slapping my knee.
There was this 26-year-old thief in Minnesota by the name of Nicholas Wig. Now Nick, admittedly, wasn’t the brightest of criminals, but he was smart enough to get out of the rain … by breaking into somebody’s house. The homeowner came home later that day to find his place ransacked—his cash, credit cards and a favorite watch all gone. In their place was a wet pair of jeans, tennis shoes and a belt.
Hey, it was raining. I’m assuming Nick helped himself to some dry duds.
Anyway, as the owner was searching around and waiting for the police to arrive, he noticed that Nick had left something else behind: Everything about himself. You see, while this pilferer was burgling a home, he couldn’t keep himself from logging in to Facebook on the homeowner’s computer. And when he left, he forgot to log out. D’oh!
After finding this Internet clue, the owner then went ahead and posted to Nick’s profile. He even left his phone number in case someone might help him find the social crook. The next day Nick gave the homeowner a call. The owner said, “Hey, you left a few things at my house last night. How can I get them back to you?” And Nick? Well, he made arrangements to meet with the friendly owner to grab his stuff. I mean, hey, if you can’t trust a guy on your own Facebook page, who can you trust?
To make a dumb story short, the police were at the meeting place and nabbed Nick with his victim’s watch on his wrist. Now he’s in jail, and he could be facing 10 years in prison and a $20,000 fine.
So, am I saying that your compulsion to constantly check social network sites might get you thrown in jail? Nah. But I think young Nick might say that heeding the siren’s call and spending tons of time on Facebook doesn’t necessarily make you … any smarter.
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