[Newsweek The Facebook Effect
Everardo Laboy
Bad news Facebook users who ditched the social network in protest following the Cambridge Analytica scandal: CEO Mark Zuckerberg believes the viral movement that urged fans to abandon the platform had little meaningful effect.
Last month, a Twitter-led campaign using the hashtag #DeleteFacebook was fueled by comments made by SpaceX chief Elon Musk and WhatsApp co-founder Brian Acton, who both made headlines after speaking in favor of the exodus.
"I don't think there has been any meaningful impact we've observed," he said in relation to the anti-Facebook push during a Wednesday briefing set up to answer questions on privacy, data collection and the abuse of his website by propaganda.
In March, as the scandal first gained traction, TechCrunch reported that Facebook had lost around $60 billion in market capitalization when its shares dropped by 5 percent. At the same time, Google searches for "How to delete Facebook" were spiking, and at least three companies reportedly pulled advertisements from the social network.
"Look, it's not good," he said in relation to the optics surrounding #DeleteFacebook. "I don't want anyone to be unhappy with our services or what we do as a company," he added. "So, even if we can't really measure a change and the usage of a product, or the business or anything like that, it still speaks to people feeling like this is a massive breach of trust and that we have a lot of work to do to repair that."
According to Forbes, the Facebook founder has a real-time net worth of more than $61 billion and is currently listed as the seventh richest person on the planet. While the #DeleteFacebook protest movement made a lot of noise when it first launched, it still remains unclear exactly how many followed through on the pledge to leave.
Based in London, Murdock previously covered cybersecurity for the International Business Times UK and B2B tech for V3.co.uk. Winner of The Drum's 'Digital Writer of the Year' award in 2017. Contact: j.mu...@newsweek.com
Alcohol tends to affect older people differently than it affects younger people. We experience multiple mental and physical changes as we grow older. These biological changes affect how we respond to foreign chemicals, like alcohol, in our bodies.1
Alcohol can be dangerous or even deadly for older people. Drinking can cause significant health issues in older adults, and moderate-to-heavy drinking habits may also lead to a decreased ability to perform simple tasks.1
Alcohol is a central nervous system (CNS) depressant drug that can alter vision, reduce hearing, impair judgment, inhibit the ability to balance and delay reaction time in older adults. Although young people experience these repercussions, their tolerance for the drug tends to be much higher.1,2
Drinking alcohol can also aggravate co-occurring health conditions in older adults. Older people have a higher tendency for heart problems and stomach problems, such as ulcers, and drinking can make these worse.
Excessive drinking in the older population can contribute to additional psychological stress, making them prone to anger and mental health conditions. Unfortunately, loneliness is common in the senior community. Older people may turn to drinking to help them feel better after a significant loss or self-medicate for underlying depression.
Chronic heavy drinking is also generally associated with dehydration and increased inflammation in the body. Inflammation is known to lead to several health issues and diseases, like an increased likelihood of heart disease and cancer.4
The average recommended amount of alcohol that a person should drink per day is one drink for women and up to two drinks for men. One standard drink counts as 1.5 ounces of hard liquor, 5 ounces of wine, and 12 ounces of beer.5
However, due to the consequences mentioned above, it may be best to refrain from drinking every day if you are over 65. Older people are at a higher risk for negative health consequences from drinking.
The first thing to be aware of is that vision, hearing and reaction time while sober may decline in older people. This means that they will have more difficulty with these issues after drinking a small amount of alcohol than younger people might. For example, an older person who drinks one glass of wine may not be competent to drive an automobile even though his blood alcohol level is below the legal limit. The alcohol might slow his reaction time even further, making him incapable of the sudden reactions that are sometimes needed to avoid an accident. Older people might also have difficulty with walking or following conversations after taking a small amount of alcohol because the alcohol interferes with their already limited ability to see, hear and react.
Prescription pain medications are especially problematic for any drinker. Drugs such as OxyContin can be fatal when combined with alcohol. A combination of the two can cause the heart to stop beating altogether. The risks of mixing these drugs only compound for elderly people.6
Even over-the-counter medications can be dangerous when combined with alcohol. For example, drinking while taking aspirin can lead to serious health problems, like increased risk of stomach bleeding. Drinking while on Tylenol can cause excessive liver damage.6
Cold and allergy medicines can also be dangerous because some of these medications already contain alcohol. Drinking while on these medications will increase drowsiness. These problems might apply to younger people too, but older people are more likely to be on over-the-counter and prescription medication. Therefore, they must give special consideration to how medication may change their reactions to alcohol.7
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- Alcoholism\n
- Co-Occurring Mental Disorders\n
- Comorbid Health Complications\n
- Effects of Alcohol\n
- How to Help An Alcoholic\n
- Interventions\n
- Mixing Alcohol and Other Substances\n
- Pregnancy\n
- Professions and Alcoholism\n
- Relapse Prevention\n\n\n""props":"title":"Helping someone you love","children":"\n
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- Helping an Alcoholic\n
- Boyfriends\n
- Brothers\n
- Children\n
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- Fathers\n
- Friends\n
- Getting sober\n
- Girlfriends\n
- Grandparents\n
- Husbands\n
- Mothers\n
- Parents\n
- Partners\n
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- Teens\n
- Wives\n\n\n""props":"scalar":"","children":"\n[1] National Institute on Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse (2020). Older Adults.\n[2] BMC Ear, Nose, and Throat Disorders (2007). The acute effects of alcohol on auditory thresholds.\n[3] National Institute on Aging (2017). Facts About Aging and Alcohol.\n[4] The Journal of Clinical and Aesthetic Dermatology (2019). Impact of Smoking and Alcohol Use on Facial Aging in Women: Results of a Large Multinational, Multiracial, Cross-sectional Survey.\n[5] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2020). Alcohol and Public Health: FAQ.\n[6] American Society of Anesthesiologists (2017). Mixing Opioids and Alcohol May Increase Likelihood of Dangerous Respiratory Complication, Especially in the Elderly, Study Finds.\n[7] National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (2014). Mixing Alcohol with Medicines.\n\n"Was this page helpful?YesNoSharetwitter iconfacebook iconThank you for your feedback.American Addiction Centers (AAC) is committed to delivering original, truthful, accurate, unbiased, and medically current information. We strive to create content that is clear, concise, and easy to understand.