Credit: Shutterstock This article was originally published at The Conversation.The publication contributed the article to Live Science's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights. Here we go again: another Facebook controversy, yet again violating our sense of privacy by letting others harvest our personal information. This flareup is a big oneto be sure, leading some people to consider leaving Facebook altogether, but the company and most of its over 2 billion userswill reconcile. The vast majority will return to Facebook, just like they did the last timeand the many times before that. As in all abusive relationships, users have a psychological dependence that keeps them hooked despite knowing that, at some level, it's not good for them. Decades of research has shown that our relationship with all media, whether movies, television or radio, is symbiotic: People like them because of the gratifications they get from consuming them– benefits like escapism, relaxation and companionship. The more people use them, the more gratifications they seek and obtain. With online media, however, a consumer's use provides data to media companies so they can serve up exactly what would gratify her most, as they mine her behavior patterns to tailor her online experiences and appeal to her individual psychological needs. Aside from providing content for our consumption, Facebook, Twitter, Google – indeed all interactive media – provide us with new possibilities for interaction on the platformthat can satisfy some of our innate human cravings. Interactive tools in Facebook provide simplified ways to engage your curiosity, broadcast your thoughts, promote your image, maintain relationships and fulfill the yearning for external validation. Social media take advantage of common psychological traits and tendencies to keep you clicking – and revealing more of yourself. Here's why it's so hard, as a social network user, to pull the plug once and for all. Buoying your 'friend'ships The more you click, the stronger your online relationships. Hitting the 'Like' button, commenting on photos of friends, sending birthday wishes and tagging others are just some of the ways in which Facebook allows you to engage in " social grooming." All these tiny, fleeting contacts help users maintain relationships with large numbers of people with relative ease...

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