Before we start, answer me a few questions; How many hours do you spend on Facebook and Twitter? Do you feel the need to check in everywhere you go on your social media site? Does social networking get in the way of being social? Do you procrastinate studying or doing homework to go on your social networking site? Do you find yourself checking your Facebook every time you’re on the computer? Do you feel the need to post everything that happens to you? Do you find yourself taking pictures just with the intention of posting them to Facebook? After posting do you check to see if anyone commented ever 10 minutes? Do you find yourself glued to Facebook during classes instead of actually paying attention and participating? If you answered yes to any of these have you ever considered that you might be addicted to Facebook. A new study shows that addiction to social networking sites is more prevalent in college students like us.
According to the University of Maryland’s International Center for Media & the Public Affairs (ICMPA) and the Salzburg Academy on Media & Global Change, The “Going 24 Hours Without Media Study” analyzed data from students in 10 countries, including Argentina, Chile, mainland China, Hong Kong, Lebanon, Mexico, Slovakia, Uganda, the U.K. and the U.S. Their findings show that the majority of people age 25 and younger are addicted to a form of media, including Facebook. The study also found that the two most popular forms of social media were Facebook and cell phones. “It was amazing to me though how easily programmed my fingers were to instantly start typing “f-a-c-e” in the search bar,” a U.S. student said. “It’s now muscle memory, or instinctual, to log into Facebook as the first step of Internet browsing.”
Andrew Eisner, Retrevo's director of Community and Content, noted in a blog post that the recent survey of 1,000 Americans showed that many people appear to be obsessed with trading information with their friends, family and co-workers. The Retrevo Gadgetology study shows that 48 percent of those polled say they update Facebook or Twitter during the night or as soon as they wake up. The study also says that 19 percent of people under the age of 25 say they update Facebook or Twitter anytime they happen to wake up during the night; 11 percent over the age of 25 say they do the same thing. The study also noted that 42 percent check Facebook or Twitter first thing in the morning, and 28 percent of iPhone users saying they do it before they even get out of bed. “People seem so into their personal tech that they don't mind being interrupted from dinner, during a trip to the bathroom or even during sex,”Retrevo says. “The study found that 40 percent of respondents don't mind being interrupted by a text message; 32 percent said interrupting a meal for a message is OK, while 7 percent said they'd even check a message during an intimate moment. Eleven percent of those under the age of 25 would interrupt sex for a message, and 24 percent under 25 would answer a message in the bathroom.” Retrevo says.
According to CNN here are five simple clues to check if you’re addicted to social networking.
1. "If you're staying up late at night because you're on Facebook, and you're tired the next day, Facebook may be a compulsion for you,
2. You spend more than an hour a day on Facebook
3. You become obsessed with old loves
4. You ignore work in favor of Facebook
5. The thought of getting off Facebook leaves you in a cold sweat
So next time you go to post to your social networking site or go to check out your friend’s page, just think about how often you do this and wonder is it really worth it?
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