However, Facebook dependency is not necessarily a bad thing, said Amber Ferris, an assistant professor of communication at University of Akron's Wayne College.
Ferris, who studies Facebook user trends, said that the more people use Facebook to fulfil their goals, the more dependent on it they become.
However, this dependency is not equivalent to an addiction, she said. Rather, the reason why people use Facebook determines the level of dependency they have on the social network.
To identify dependency factors, Ferris and Erin Hollenbaugh, an associate professor at Kent State University at Stark in US, studied 301 Facebook users between the ages of 18 and 68 who post on the site at least once a month.
They found that people who perceive Facebook as helpful in gaining a better understanding of themselves go to the site to meet new people and to get attention from others.
People who use Facebook to gain a deeper understanding of themselves tend to have agreeable personalities, but lower self-esteem than others.
Ferris said that some users observe how others cope with problems and situations similar to their own "and get ideas on how to approach others in important and difficult situations."
According to the researchers, other Facebook dependency signs point to users' needs for information or entertainment.
In previous studies, the researchers also uncovered personality traits common among specific types of Facebook users.
For example, people who use Facebook to establish new relationships tend to be extroverted. Extroverts are more open to sharing their personal information online, but are not always honest with their disclosures, Ferris said.
"Those who post the most and are the most positive in posts do so to stay connected with people they already know and to gain others' attention," Ferris said.
Facebook in its campaign has said that it open to any
carrier (telecom service provider) and any mobile operator can join it in connecting India. The social media giant said that it does not pay for Internet charges consumed for using Free Basics but telecom operators have joined it because it brings more people online.
Savetheinternet.In, which is campaigning for Net neutrality, said, "Facebook doesn't pay for Free Basics, telecom operators do. Where do they make money from? From users who pay. By encouraging people to choose Free Basics, Facebook reduces the propensity to bring down data costs for paid Internet access."
Facebook has denied interpretation as "gatekeeper" and instead called Free Basics a "gateway to Internet".
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