When syphilis cases increased 400% in certain areas of Britain, naturally one of their public health directors
looked into it.
His conclusion? Facebook causes syphilis.
That's right. Because the syphilis-ridden areas of Britain also happened to be Facebook hot-spots, Professor Peter Kelly claimed he'd found a link between social networking sites like Facebook and the spread of the disease.
This bold (if not ridiculous) statement was met with criticism from both Mashable and TechCrunch.
Granted, social networks can make it easier for people to "meet up", which can increase the chance of negative consequences like syphilis. But by that same logic, I could have blamed my coffee mug for the stain on my shirt yesterday. The mug made it easier for me to drink coffee, which increased the chance of me spilling. Like I said, ridiculous.
The bottom line is Facebook doesn't cause syphilis...stupid decisions do.
So, is Britain's syphilis spike alarming? Sure, but that doesn't mean Facebook's +400 million users should race to the nearest clinic or start stockpiling penicillin.