My Leg has gone blue and dropped off. Am I ill?

Don't people have friends any more?  The popularity of social media, and in particular community-type pages on Facebook has lead to people apparently becoming reliant on asking complete strangers for advice.  Whether they actually take this advice remains to be seen but one Facebook group I was added to recently is monumentally cringeworthy in terms of what is being shared.

I think if I had a problem which was personal or health-related, I would speak to a family member, friend or a doctor.  However, it seems any topic is fair game for open discussion and in the past week or so the questions asked have included abortion, domestic violence, contraception and some specific health issues which in some cases were of a very personal nature.  Some of the questions are beyond shocking and show the sharp decrease in the levels of common sense people appear to have these days.  Do the contributors have no one to turn to in their lives to discuss this stuff with?  Or do they think they will get more balanced views from strangers or Facebook "friends"?

So, once the questions have been asked, the fun starts and the answers flood in by the dozen.  Some are genuine and well-reasoned, others are downright bizarre and then there are others which are either rude, wrong or hilariously sarcastic and facetious.  In some ways, I get the piece about sharing experiences - if someone has been through something and learned from it then this tends to be a positive of such groups.  However, what scares the shit out of me is the propensity to ask health-related questions as happened this week when someone posted a picture of some form of skin rash.  Suddenly everyone on Facebook became a doctor and chipped in with not only a diagnosis, but a suggested cure, and prognosis.  Now, bear in mind the type of questions being asked, and the level of intellect of some of those asking questions, my fear is that these same people are now giving out advice. Medical advice.  And suggesting drugs and medication.  Call me old-fashioned, but don't we have the NHS for this sort of thing?  And there are NHS resources online which can be accessed using the same computer or smartphone the questioners are using to access Facebook.  This being the case, why on earth would people turn to random strangers for medical advice?  There was even a women this week wanting to "borrow" a certain brand of contraceptive pill as she had run out.  I thought everyone knew that taking any form of medication prescribed for anyone other than the intended user was fraught with danger.  Clearly not.

I've almost clicked on the button to leave this particular group but the sad thing is I find it a little addictive and mildly amusing and there are some positives to it in terms of recommendations for local businesses.  At the same time, it is also absolutely terrifying that grown men and women are now so feckless and apparently reliant on social media to get through day-to-day life.  Used properly, I think there is a place for such groups but they have a very dark underbelly which shows that society in 2014 is a bit of a sick puppy.  Does anyone know what's wrong with my puppy? Answers via Facebook please!