Social Media Addiction and The Fear of Missing Out
By Chelsea Andrade
Social Media is a very
addicting activity. People across the world are concerned that they are missing
out on news or what is happening right now in the moment. This is what can
cause people to become addicted to social media.
According to a recent study 62 percent of adults keep an eye on their social networks because they don't want to miss something such as news or an important event or status update. Most people check there statuses before they go to bed at night or even before there fully awake in the morning. Many Americans as well as Canadians would rather participate in other activities such as getting a root canal than get rid of there social networking profile. Desires for social media is difficult to control because of the easy-access availability of it, and because giving in to these social urges seems far less harmful than giving into drugs or nicotine.
In
a study done by the University of Chicago there was a correlation between low
self-esteem and social network addiction. Being social online is easier for
people who suffer from self-esteem issues, and within this group, an addiction
to sites like Facebook and Twitter is much more easily formed.
much time there spending on the
Internet. As for adults there can be several side effects to being addicted to
social media. Be careful on what you post and how much time you spend on the
Internet you never know what could happen!
Sources:
http://news.yahoo.com/social-media-addiction-based-fear-missing-143357943.html
Chelsea, you bring up some very surprising points in your post. I find it really interesting that people actually believe that if they are not connected to social media at all times that they are missing out on something. I find this surprising because in reality, it's because they are on social media that they are missing out on reality and things around them. All too often I have been out with a person and have been ignored because they feel the need to check on their social media instead of having a conversation with me. I feel that as a result of this that more and more people are losing touch with reality and will rely more heavily on the internet and social media to keep them entertained and informed. If you ask me, it's a sad sad future.
ReplyDeleteOverall, good post Chelsea.
I believe that you would find the infographic (http://www.mediabistro.com/alltwitter/files/2012/08/surrendering-to-social-media-is-it-addiction.png) that I link to in one of my blog posts very interesting as it goes along with just how addicted people are these days to social media.
Tiffany Hopkinson