Addiction Social Media Addiction

Social media is also causing the deaths of many teens and adults because people want to stay with all the new things happening in the world. Social media tools are designed to distract us from mortality and up reminding us in a particularly vivid manner that life is a sequence of losses (Daily Telegraph). Snapchat advertises on one of its filters to not text and drive but people still do it. Many teens distract themselves with social media for others to know how they are living and what they have in life. It's clear that, for teenagers, spending too much time online can really deter social and educational development, the internet world is such that there is alway something new to do and to distract one from one's responsibilities (The Danger of Teen Internet Addiction). Getting addicted to something is very hard to break away from. The internet is a new drug to many teens and adults of society nowadays. Mark Zuckerberg created the social media app, Facebook, on February 4, 2004. It attracted many people to sign up and make an account. Another app created was Myspace on August 1st 2003. Social media has influenced how today's teens look upon life. Teenagers tend to think everything they see on social

First, social media, especially Facebook, are very addicted. People would say drug or alcohol is more addicted than social media or social media addiction is not big problems, but it is not true. There is a report of the social media addiction by University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business. A team from the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business recently conducted an experiment involving 205 people in Wurtzburg, Germany to analyze the addictive properties of social media and other devices. Participants in the week-long study were polled via BlackBerry smartphones seven times per day and asked to report when they experienced a desire within the past 30

Addictions may seem like simple pleasures at first. Unfortunately, that's the trap with any addiction. It starts out at a pleasurable interest. Gradually, it can turn into something that's life-altering and all-consuming. Not only can it alter your own life, it can ruin your family life. When it comes to addiction, most people think about the most popular ones like drug and alcohol addictions. However, there are many addictions that fly under the radar.

Social media is used widely by many across the nation, it is very prevalent in the lives of today’s college student and young adults to connect with friends attending different institutions or even friends sitting just across the room. In a generation where technology is so heavily relied on and even addicting to some, we have seen an increase of addictive behaviors. Does the overuse of technology contribute to the rising alcohol and drug addictions as well as mental health issues? In this paper I will discuss addiction and it’s prevalence in the U.S.  I will also discuss the use of social media in both teens and adults and the effects it has on the use of alcohol and drugs.

Social media is a part of everyone’s life. Social media issues has impacted in every young person’s life, whether it’s a relationship on Snapchat, having public fights with friends on Twitter, or throwing and inviting people to post party details on Facebook. Whether it’s at school or at home, social media impacted many people’s lives with its advance technology and fast speed messages. Social media has targeted teens into keeping a status online so that everyone who uses social media can see too. But sometimes teens get into social media so much, that they forget what is more important than looking at a phone. Teens’ relationship to social media addiction is a big issue because teens develop depression, which makes them forget who they are.

For many social media is a platform to send and receive information. Like most individuals, this is where it begins and ends. However, more people are finding themselves addicted to this form of communication. Have you ever wondered drives someone to post endless updates or chronically checks for updates and gets upset when there are none? Is it because they are suffering from depression, anxiety, narcissism, paranoia or other psychological disorders? Even though social media addiction is not a considered a valid and recognized disorder, it does exist. Can it be proven that the same underlying psychological issues that can cause one to become addicted to substances are the same for an addiction to social media?

In today’s society almost every individual has some type of social media, whether it is Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram, or Twitter, People have accustomed to utilizing these types of social media and it has become part of their life and daily use. According to the essay “Students Addicted to Social Media” by the International Center for Media and Public Agenda, the study from the University of Maryland claims “American college students today are addicted to media” (Signs of Life in the USA 403). The university discovered that when these students are restricted from using media it is similar in terms of drug and alcohol addictions. During the study that the university conducted, students discuss how boring it is without media and how it gives them anxiety about not receiving information through social media. Other students claimed that texting and IM'ing gives them comfort and if they do not have these items then they feel alone and isolated from the world ( Signs of Life in the USA 404). Students are not the only ones who have an addiction of media but also parents and non-students. However, the International Center is accurate in some aspects and the responses students gave are very relatable which some people can agree with.

Social Media is an ingrained part of today’s society. Students are constantly on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and many other sites that we adults are not hip enough to know about. The use of social media has also made its way into the classroom, leading many experts say that with the proper safeguards in place, social media use is possible- and even desirable- in the classroom. However, there is a limit as how often social media should be utilized both inside and outside of the classroom. It has gotten to the point that social media use can be labeled as an addiction, comparable to alcoholism and drug abuse. So what is an addiction? Dr. Lawrence Wilson labels an addiction as a “habit or behavior causes some kind of pleasurable sensation. However, in reality the habit is weakening the person in some way, because one begins to need more of the habit to get the same effect.” There are several telltale signs that a person may be addicted to social media including spending an excessive amount of time online, over-sharing the details of one’s personal life on various websites, and even looking for new friends and/or followers in an almost competitive way.

Did you know the average person will spend five years and four months of their life devoted to using social media? This is more than the time we spend eating throughout our lives, which clocks in at about three years and five months, according to Mediakix, an influencer marketing service. The unstoppable march that is the advancement of technology is so quick that it’s only a matter of time before it consumes every aspect of the average life. Some might argue that social media usage is at an appropriate level and doesn’t need to be limited, but I disagree. For example, think about how many people are unable to put down their smartphone for ten minutes because, in a very literal sense, electronics have become an addiction. With this information in mind, there should be a policy enforced to limit the use of social media day by day. The government needs to enforce a law that permits only two hours of social media usage each day. This regulation is necessary because social media use is taking over the lives of modern humans, which could be put to use doing more useful activities to improve the world. This excessively large amount of time devoted to the usage of social media can, believe it or not, affect daily behavior and cause addictions. This limitation will allow us to become more effective and productive in the currently hindered work we are doing in our daily lives. The government should limit the amount of time people can use social media because it will result in

“Students Addicted to Social Media” and “If We’re All So Darn Sick of You, Facebook, Why Can’t We Quit You?,” written by the International Center for Media and the Public Agenda and Simon Dumenco, are two writings outlining different issues that plague users of social media. The International Center for Media and the Public Agenda summarizes their findings following a study they conducted that isolated subjects from social media for 24 hours. They found subjects experiencing feelings of withdrawal, a phenomenon that social media companies prey upon as explained by Simon Dumenco. Dumenco postures that companies such as Facebook will send false notifications to entice users into logging back in. These two ideas combine to paint a picture of an unconditionally constant presence of social media in everyday life, a practice that may be facilitated by explosive social media growth on a mobile platform. Together, these two publications point to problems that may have drastic effects on social media and those who use it.

Caroline Knorr, a journalist from CNN Common Sense Media asserts the fact that companies engineer the social media apps we utilize in a certain way that keeps us hooked (“How to resist technology”) on it in order to continue usage. Although these tactics benefit the companies that create the media apps it does not always positively affect the user. Addiction can be seen as an action that has been done multiple times to the point of creating a regular practice or habit in which the person becomes a slave to. In this case though, the base of the addiction is Social Media, what leads to it, and how one can end or prevent it. Ultimately, a habit like such can negatively impact a user to where it alters their social and everyday life. Luckily, there are methods that can help such as reorganizing the way a person uses their phone, also by modifying their actions and activities in order to increase the amount of time one can spend away from their device, as well as changing their decision making for in-app purchases.. On the other hand, there are possible refutations when bringing up the issue of social media.

“We didn’t have a choice to know any life without iPads or iPhones. I think we like our phones more than we like actual people” said Athena, a teen who was interviewed by the Atlantic (Twenge 2017). When individuals are addicted to social media, it may cause a lot of problems, physically, emotionally, and mentally. Teenagers today struggle with communication and creating strong bonds with others due to their lack of in-person conversations. Most conversations take place over text messages or social media accounts and it has affected their attitudes and behaviors. Addiction to social media typically leads to unplanned circumstances, such as mental health problems, which includes depression and anxiety.

The relevance and use of social media has increased over the past twenty years and has become a permanent aspect of society. Social media is defined as a set of internet-based tools that support social interactions which encompass a variety of technologies, including online social networks, examples of which include Twitter, Snapchat, Facebook, and Instagram (National Research Council). According to a recent study performed by the American Academy of Pediatrics, twenty-two percent of teens access the social media platform that they prefer more than ten times in a single day, and “more than half of adolescents log on to a social media site more than once a day” (O'Keeffe). As the dependence on social media continues to rise, the controversy surrounding the effects it has on our society continues to grow. This reliance has changed our interpersonal communication skills and how we relate to one another as well as our self-perception. As we continue to expand knowledge and use of technology as an accepted means of social interaction, this addiction will continue. The impact of social media has negatively changed how we communicate, view ourselves, and how crime is carried out.

The very first electronic mail was sent in 1971 but in just over 40 years, social media has become a global phenomenon. Social media are websites or applications that allow people to share their ideas, thoughts and feelings through mediums like photos, music and videos. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Ask.fm are just a few examples of such platforms. Social media has made the world a smaller place with just a click of a few buttons. One could literally do anything, such as, posting photos, making videos or exchanging ideas. Furthermore, through social media, one can also readily share ideas and easily communicate with people around the globe. With the convenience and accessibility it brings,

There is not a clear stated definition of digital addiction however Shaw and Black (2008) characterize Internet addiction by excessive or poorly preoccupations, urges or behaviours regarding computer use and internet access that lead to impairment or distress. However as the term addict is a strong description DA is seen as a general misuse of the internet in various forms, as no formal definition exists the author sees the disorder as problematic computer usage resulting in negative consequences. According to Young et al DA is a broad term covering a wide variety of behaviours and impulse control problems. K.Young (1999) also categorised DA into five subtypes of DA, they are cybersexual addiction, cyberrelationship addiction; net compulsion (e.g. gambling or shopping on the internet); information overload (e.g. compulsive database searching); and computer addiction (excessive game-playing). This project highlights social network addiction which falls into the category of cyberrelationship addiction but also contemplates all other types.