Social Media Addiction, Does It Exist?

Part 1

There are a bunch of addictions under the sun, but what about social media? Can we classify it as an addiction? That’s exactly what we’re going to find out throughout this post and the next post. Because there is so much to cover, I’m going to be breaking this post up into 2 parts.

When you hear the term addiction, many people don’t believe that social media can be classified as an addiction, they typically just think about the top 3 most popular addictions: Drugs, Alcohol and Gambling. But nowadays, people are beginning to use online networking a lot more than they ever used to. Sites like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest and Tumblr are among the few social networking sites that people use everyday.

As of spring 2012 there were the number of active members on some of the top sites according to Dave Larson on his blog (http://blog.tweetsmarter.com/social-media/spring-2012-social-media-user-statistics/):
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<!--[if !supportLists]-->o   <!--[endif]-->1^st, Facebook: 901 Million Users

<!--[if !supportLists]-->o   <!--[endif]-->2^nd, Twitter: 555 Million Users

<!--[if !supportLists]-->o   <!--[endif]-->3^rd, Google+: 170 Million Users

<!--[if !supportLists]-->o   <!--[endif]-->4^th, LinkedIn: 150 Million Users

<!--[if !supportLists]-->o   <!--[endif]-->5^th,Pinterest: 11.7 Million Users

If you were looking and are interested in some more interesting statistics about these sites such as, the aver amount of time users spend on the site, ages, male-female ratios then I would highly recommend checking out his blog post.

With the technology that has come out over the years it’s made it very simple and easy for people to be able to check their favourite sites where and whenever they please. Because of this, I think is a big factor into why people feel like they are missing out on something if they can’t check their profile. Ultimately this is a factor into social media addiction.

Most people believe that social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter are harmless platforms that allow for social interaction, connecting with friends and relatives you don’t see often and personal expression. For others, it’s become more than an entertaining form of engagement; it has become an increasing compulsion.

This increasing compulsion can lead to many things that could affect your real life. By spending too much time or sharing too much information online, it can cause personal real life problems with friends, family and spouses.

Due to these increasing compulsions, recent studies suggest that yes, this may be a serious opportunity for addiction. (http://www.businessesgrow.com/2012/04/19/yes-you-can-be-addicted-to-social-media/) 

One study conducted even came to the conclusion that social media was more addictive than cigarettes and alcohol.  “Desires for social media are 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.”

“After all addictions are about feeding the urge, and one of the greatest human urges is to feel connected and part of something larger.” This quote is an exact summary of what an addiction to social media is. We as humans are always trying to fit in and be apart of something that’s big, and self-esteem also plays a big part into it as well.  When people log onto their profiles, whether it be Facebook or Twitter, they get an instant “high” when they see that they have notifications, messages or friend requests because it gives them that boost, a feeling of being accepted and belonging.  People find that it’s easier to become accepted online because they can fabricate the things they like, hobbies etc.

Make sure to check back next week for Part 2!

 

-Karley.S