Facebook voted more necessary than having a flushable toilet

Tori Floyd
·Editor

Facebook's ever-growing popularity and pervasiveness seems to be changing our priorities in today's society, according to one British survey.

The Daily Mail reports that a survey of 3,000 adults found people prioritized Facebook above having a stove, a flushing toilet and a shower.

The survey, conducted by One Poll for London's Science Museum, was originally part of the museum's new exhibition on the necessity of fresh water. Each participant was asked what they couldn't live without. The results of the study were a bit of a shock, prompting the museum's Exhibition Manager, Sarah Richardson, to describe the results as 'crazy.'

"Brits are obsessed by the weather, so it's not surprising sunshine was rated as the top thing we couldn't live without," said Richardson in The Daily Mail. "But to say you can't live without material things over drinking water is crazy."

As Richardson mentioned, sunshine topped the list as a necessity, followed by Internet connection, clean drinking water, a refrigerator and Facebook.

Facebook's social media competitor Twitter was ranked 50th on the list, indicating that Brits are much more attached to posting on people's walls than sending out 140 character updates.

It shouldn't be surprising that Facebook is so highly valued as experts have talked in recent months about how refusing to engage with others on Facebook can have a significant social cost. That still doesn't explain how an Internet connection is thought to be more critical than drinkable water.

Here's the full list:

  1. Sunshine

  2. Internet connection

  3. Clean drinking water

  4. Fridge

  5. Facebook

  6. NHS (National Health Service)

  7. Cooker

  8. Email

  9. Flushing toilet

  10. Mobile phone/smartphone

  11. Tea and Coffee

  12. Washing machine

  13. Shower

  14. Central heating

  15. Painkillers

  16. Fresh vegetables

  17. Vacuum Cleaner

  18. Kettle

  19. Sofa

  20. Shoes

  21. Fresh fruit

  22. Google

  23. Car

  24. Hair straighteners

  25. Public transport

  26. Laptop

  27. Chocolate

  28. DVD Player

  29. Wristwatch

  30. Make-up

  31. Flat screen TV

  32. Wedding ring

  33. Tumble dryer

  34. Bottled water

  35. Ebay

  36. Bicycle

  37. iPod

  38. Air conditioning

  39. Disposable diapers

  40. Light bulbs

  41. Spell-check

  42. Sat Nav (GPS navigation system)

  43. Push-up bra

  44. Nintendo Wii

  45. iPad

  46. Gym Membership

  47. Season ticket to your football club

  48. Freezer

  49. Xbox

  50. Twitter

So Yahoo! Canada readers, how do you think this list would change if Canadians were asked the same question? Would Facebook still rank as high?

(AFP Photo)

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