HOW 'HOLLOW' FACEBOOK FRIENDS ARE NEVER AROUND IN A CRISES !

[Daanyeer]

How 'hollow' Facebook friends are never around in a crisis

Average youngster has 237 online friends but just two they could turn to for support in real life


By Daniel Miller

24th January 2012


While young people often have thousands of friends on Facebook most have very few the could actually to turn to in a real-life crisis, a survey has discovered.
A poll of 1,000 people aged 18 to 35 conducted by Macmillan Cancer Support found that the average youngster has 237 Facebook friends but just two who they could rely on when faced with a serious problem.
Worryingly around a quarter of respondents said they had just one true friend while one in eight said they had no-one at all.

Men (16 per cent) were found to be marginally more likely to have nobody to turn to than women (12 per cent).
The research was commissioned to coincide with Cancer Talk Week, which begins today, to highlight the difficulties young people face in seeking support when they or a loved one are diagnosed with cancer.



Despite the boom in social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter, around half said they talk to their friends just as much as they did before.
Elspeth Atkinson, of Macmillan Cancer Support said: 'It is surprising and concerning that people confide in such a small number of friends and family - and more so that others may not confide in anyone.

'It is important that, when going through something tough, like themselves or a family member receiving a cancer diagnosis, young people speak openly about what they're going through to ensure they get the right support they need.
'We meet a lot of patients and family members who feel like they need to be 'strong' and bottle up their emotions. This causes great strain on relationships.'
On Christmas Day 2010, 42-year-old Brighton woman Simone Black committed suicide after posting on her Facebook page that she intended to take an overdose.
Despite having 1,048 supposed friends on the social networking site, many of whom lived nearby, not a single person came to her aid.


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