Oneupweb : Is Facebook Making Us All Crazy?

Is Facebook making us crazy, or is it just bringing the crazies out into the open? It’s something I’ve been pondering quite a bit lately, as more and more headlines contain stories of ridiculous things people do all in the name of “Facebook”.

Take, for instance, the woman who drove over her cousin—twice—all because some guy accepted her cousin’s friend request and denied hers. A heated argument turned into a fit of jealous rage—the pedal hit the medal on the minivan, and these women’s lives will never be the same.

Or how about this story of a Michigan woman who caused a fatal car accident, all because of a fight she was having on Facebook? Apparently two women were driving and fighting on Facebook chat about the affections of a man in prison. One woman spotted the other, and proceeded to ram her car.

Even politicians are getting in on the act. A North Carolina mayor posted a Facebook status message saying “F-you” to the Arizona shooter. Maybe something we were all thinking, but should a mayor be posting that to his Facebook wall, from a profile he uses for business?

On the opposite side of the spectrum, a girlfriend recently helped cops locate and arrest her man by listing her current city on the social network.

And it’s effecting our youth. Tween-aged girls started an “Attack a Teacher Day” on Facebook, making threats against specific educators. They were slapped with misdemeanor charges and booked at juvenile hall.

There are even some heartbreaking stories about a mother who killed her baby because she wanted to play Farmville, and another who’s baby drowned while she played Cafe World in another room.

Really? Is this America? Is it our own fault, or can we blame Mark Zuckerberg’s pride and joy?

I had almost given up all hope when I read a story about a disabled man who used the chat room on a Facebook page to, essentially, save his life. A toaster pastry had gotten stuck in the toaster while his wife was away, and he was unable to leave the house or reach his cell phone on his own. He was playing a game on Facebook, though, and typed “help me” in the chat room. Two women called 911 for him, and firefighters were able to reach him in time.

Leave it to Facebook. You drive us crazy, and then you do something like this that warms our heart and keeps us coming back for more.