Facebook “Causes Syphilis”
Date: Mar 26, 2010
A researcher has claimed
Facebook is connected to a rise in syphilis as it is a hotbed of casual sex, unsurprisingly something Facebook angrily denies.
Professor Peter Kelly, a public health official in northern England, found that the Teeside region he is responsible for is the area of Britain with the highest rates of Facebook and SNS usage, and asserts that their research found a link between this usage and a jump in the cases of syphilis the area is experiencing:
“Syphilis is a devastating disease. Anyone who has unprotected sex with casual partners is at high risk.
There has been a fourfold increase in the number of syphilis cases detected with more young women being affected.
I don’t get the names of people affected, just figures, and I saw that several of the
people had met sexual partners through these sites.
Social networking sites are making it easier for people to meet up for casual sex.”
Facebook scoffs at the claims:
“The assertion that Facebook is responsible for the transmission of syphilis is ridiculous.
Facebook is no more responsible for STD transmission than newspapers responsible for bad vision.”
Rather less convincingly, they claim the site is purely a wholesome family friendly one:
“As Facebook’s more than 400 million users know, our website is not a place to meet people for casual sex – it’s a place for friends, family and co-workers to connect and share.”
Facebook 'linked to rise in syphilis'
Facebook has contributed to a resurgence in the sexually-transmitted disease syphilis, a health expert has claimed.
Published: 24 Mar 2010
Case have increased fourfold in Sunderland, Durham and Teesside, the areas of Britain
where Facebook is most popular.
Professor Peter Kelly, director of public health in Teesside, claimed staff had
found a link between social networking sites and the spread of the bacteria, especially among young women.
He said: “Syphilis is a devastating disease. Anyone who has unprotected sex with casual partners is at high risk.
"There has been a fourfold increase in the number of syphilis cases detected with more young women being affected.
"I don't get the names of people affected, just figures, and I saw that several of the people had met sexual partners through these sites.
"Social networking sites are making it easier for people to meet up for casual sex."
In Teesside there were 30 recorded cases of syphilis last year, but the true figures are expected to be much higher.
Research has shown that young people in Sunderland, Durham and Teesside were 25 per cent more likely to log onto social networking sites than those in the rest of Britain.
A Facebook spokesman said: “The assertion that Facebook is responsible for the transmission of syphilis is ridiculous. Facebook is no more responsible for STD transmission than newspapers responsible for bad vision. Today’s reports exaggerate the comments made by the professor, and ignore the difference between correlation and causation.
"As Facebook’s more than 400 million users know, our website is not a place to meet people for casual sex – it’s a place for friends, family and co-workers to connect and share.”
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/facebook/7508945/Facebook-linked-to-rise-in-syphilis.html
Facebook: what social networking site 'is blamed for' amid syphilis claims
There are, it seems, few social ills that have not at one stage or another been blamed on Facebook.
Published: 25 Mar 2010
Since its creation in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg the
site has been held responsible for everything from the breakdown of marriage to childhood obesity. Most recently, a public health official even linked social network sites
to a resurgence in the sexually-transmitted disease syphilis.
Below are a few examples of the more unexpected outcomes which have been pinned on social network sites by everyone from the head of the Catholic church in Britain to University researchers.
* Facebook ‘fuels divorce’
Lawyers blamed Facebook for almost one in five of online divorce petitions, saying the social networking site, which connects old friends and allows users to make new ones online, was
behind the increase increasing number of
marital breakdowns and the temptation for
people to cheat on their partners.
* Facebook leads ‘children to suicide’
The head of the Catholic Church in England and Wales, Archbishop Vincent Nichols, warned that Facebook
encouraged teenagers to view friendship as a "commodity" and was leading them to suicide. It was, he argued, one of the many social networking sites that led teenagers to build "transient relationships", leaving them unable to cope when their network collapse.
* Facebook ‘killing off traditional sayings’
The social networking site was blamed for the slow death of
British sayings such as “a little birdie told me” and “hold your horses”. In a survey on communication trend researchers found phrases commonly used by parents and grandparents were disappearing.
* Facebook blamed for ‘rickets surge’
Facebook has been blamed for the
surge in the number of children suffering from rickets. Researchers writing in the British Medical Journal found the social networking site, and computer games had
led to the disease, caused by chronic vitamin D deficiencies, which can be
triggered by long periods out of natural sunlight and a poor diet, being “disturbingly common” among British children.
* Facebook ‘turning Britons into introverts’
A study from Mintel, the market research company, found more than half of adults who use sites such as Facebook
admitted they spent more time chatting online than they did actually speaking to friends and family. Researchers also found users made fewer phone calls, sent fewer texts and emails, watched less television and spent less time playing computer games because of their online habit.
* Facebook ‘makes partners jealous’
University of Guelph
researchers found Facebook use
increased jealousy in relationships, amid greater social exchanges with friends and previous partners. They found that the more time one person spends online on the social networking site monitoring his or her partner, the more suspicious that person becomes.
* Facebook ‘challenges legal restrictions’
In the wake of the
Baby P case, legal restrictions that banned the naming of Tracy Connelly, Peter’s mother and Steven Barker, her boyfriend, provoked a furious backlash on the site. Facebook campaigners challenged their right to anonymity while several sites were set up to fight for “justice for Baby P”. There were concerns that some of the groups could lead to their trial being aborted amid fears they would not get a fair hearing.
* More middle-aged people ‘learning to love’ Facebook
But despite perceived problems, Ofcom, the communications regulator, found more
middle-aged people are logging on to social networking sites such as Facebook in ever larger numbers. It found the phenomenon of signing up for social networking sites had "begun to mature", with the number of 35 to 54-year-olds accessing such sites jumping by 25 per cent over the past year alone.
* Facebook makes users ‘feel unattractive’
Millions of Facebook users say they avoid uploading photos and remove their name from all pictures of them on the site because
they feel too fat, old or ugly. A survey found almost one in two people admitted to leaving out pictures from their "fat days" when uploading pictures to their online profile.
* MI6 chief Sir John Sawers ‘compromised by wife’s Facebook page’
Sir John Sawers, the new head of MI6, was left exposed in a
potential security breach after his wife, Lady Shelley Sawers,
published intimate photographs and family details on Facebook. Sir John who became chief of the Secret Intelligence Service in November was left embarrassed after his wife's entries on the social networking site
detailed where they lived and worked, who their friends were and where they spent their holidays.
[url]http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/facebook/7521035/Facebook-what-social-networking-site-is-blamed-for-amid-syphilis-claims.html[/URL]
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