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Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Social Media & Addiction

Recently I saw a blog post by PR Daily on social media addiction. That got me to thinking about my own actions and dependence on social media. While I certainly check Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest regularly, I am not a self-proclaimed addict. However, I have learned that it (one’s addiction) is a matter of perception.




During a road trip over spring break, my boyfriend claimed that I'm a "social media addict." He joked about me constantly checking Facebook to see what was happening with my friends, not to mention my need to post updates of our road trip adventures.

In the article “You know you’re addicted to social media when...”Michael Sebastian gives these (and other) warning signs of a possible Facebook addiction

• You check FB in the middle of the night when you wake up to use the bathroom.
• You spend all day on Facebook as a social media marketer and STILL sign on at home to see what's going on.
• You check your Facebook newsfeed before you say good morning to your spouse.

If I grade my usage based on the above criteria, I would say I am NOT addicted, as I only do a couple of those things. <smile>

Webroot, an online security firm, conducted a study which indicated that “54 percent of social media users feel some level of addiction to their social network of choice. Nearly half (46 percent) visit their favorite social network several times a day or constantly.” 

“Social media users who are part of the millennial generation (ages 18 to 34, in this study) are the most hooked, with 75 percent indicating they’re addicted compared with 44 percent of those older than them,” the report said.

“I'm addicted to social media. I share photos of my son with friends/family that don't live around me,” said Sheena Sanchez, a millennial mom from Mansfield, Texas. She says she would even give up her morning cup of coffee over social media.
Image courtesy of http://www.emfnews.org/articles/2011/01/11/

“Yes, I am addicted to social media. So much that it influenced my past relationships,” said Brooke King, a Tarleton State University Communications Major.

What about you? Are you addicted to social media?


Deana Coan is a Communications major at Tarleton State University and a member of the Social Media Committee at the Texas Social Media Research Institute.

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