Facebook has been taking users on unwanted and extremely unexpected trips down Memory Lane, thanks to a rather strange new bug.
Some users have said that the social network has been resurfacing old chat messages − some from several years ago − giving them a surprise glimpse into the past.
These messages have been popping up in Messenger chat tabs on the desktop version of Facebook, making it look like they’ve only just come through.
Unsurprisingly, affected users have been left completely flummoxed by the issue, but in some cases it has brought up embarrassing and painful memories too.
Was just on Facebook and old messages from people I haven’t talked to in years were popping up like they were just sent to me
— Max LaFave (@MaxLaFave) November 26, 2018
Anyone else's Facebook Messenger popping up really old messages? I now have eight old messages dating back to 2010 appearing as new.
— Kurt R. (@kurtricketts) November 26, 2018
Thank you @facebook for sending me notifications of messages sent over a year old. Many were from the day my partner, Dean, passed away & now I've spent my evening in fear of what else I'm going to see.
— Adam (@adamadzp) November 26, 2018
Fortunately, Facebook says it has now fixed the bug.
“Earlier today, some people may have experienced Facebook resending older messages,” the company told The Verge. “The issue, caused by software updates, has been fully resolved. We’re sorry for any inconvenience.”
Earlier this month, the Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology published a study from the University of Pennsylvania, proving that limiting time spent on social media can decrease symptoms of loneliness and depression.
Researchers limited half of the study’s 143 participants to just 10 minutes of Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat use per day, while a control group used the social media platforms as normal.
Over the course of the three-week test, the participants in the limited use group showed “significant reductions” in loneliness and depression, while both groups showed “significant decreases in anxiety and fear of missing out over baseline, suggesting a benefit of increased self-monitoring.”
Read more: How to delete a Facebook account
The authors of the study concluded: “The results from our experiment strongly suggest that limiting social media usage does have a direct and positive impact on subjective well-being over time, especially with respect to decreasing loneliness and depression. That is, ours is the first study to establish a clear causal link between decreasing social media use, and improvements in loneliness and depression.”
Were you one of those affected by the bug? Have you noticed any other unusual issues with Facebook recently? Let us know on Twitter @TrustedReviews.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
