Facebook 's Development Of An Addiction

The use of social networking sites is rising at great rates. According to a report conducted by the Pew Internet & American Life Project in 2012, ninety-five percent of individuals aged 12-17 use the internet; and eighty-one percent of those use social network sites (Pew Interest). Although it is known that social media can have a useful impact on lives, often times people forget that with a positive comes a negative. The continual use of social network sites will impact teen lives more negatively than positively because they can cause huge distractions from valuable and critical pursuits like education; they can also cause mental health issues and a reduction in communication skills.

Nowadays, a lot of teenagers are addicted to Facebook. Like everyone knows, Facebook is a type of social network and through Facebook we can know other people

Facebook has been a one of the biggest phenomenons for the past decade and has had a huge affect mostly on the younger population. Technological determinism is that technology is a force for social change and Facebook does have some of the aspects of this. It is factor of “The Global Village” because we rely on it to connect with other people from all over the world. Facebook has fortified behaviors such as narcissism and shyness. In the younger generations Facebook has problems with dependency and addiction for it’s users. It has become a social norm in the younger generation to have a Facebook account and the younger generation who do not are in the small percentage. “Facebook (2014) reveal that as of March 2014 there were 1.28 billion active users on the site per month, and at least 802 million of these users logged into Facebook every day.”(Ryan,133). It is the most used social media site in the world and It has become apart of over 800 million people’s everyday lives. It seems sometimes people are controlled by Facebook it becomes apart of them. Technological determinism and Facebook share some of the same qualities but are not completely intertwined with each other.

In today’s society, teenagers especially use social media and buzz for everything. Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Myspace, Tumblr, Snapchat, Pinterest, and LinkedIn are just some of the million different types of social media used on a daily basis worldwide. Today, people can use social media to reconnect with an old friend, share photos and videos of their lives, find family members, publicize relationships, and so much more. Social media can be great in many aspects, however, one can become dangerously addicted to the social world. In the article Social Media Addiction, Joseph Viola explains the addiction teens have with social media. He states, “Facebook, for

Just as there are positive effects of social media, there are also negative effects as well. False connections are often made on SNS. Ninety percent of students have Facebook which is constructed to be socially shared with any user. It may seem obvious that users of social networking cannot stray far from reality from his or her online identity, although the users can depict what he or she wishes to display (Moreno et al. 452). There are many young teenagers on social networking websites posting true personal information, but there are also many young teenagers who false information. In fact, many young users of social networking, especially boys, give false information (Moreno et al. 251). Manipulation can occur in order for young users to join that network. Many times younger users have to lie about his or her age which is not always approved by his or her parents (Moreno et al. 253). A survey was done from children ranging from eight years old to twelve years old to provide the results that those who lied about their age did so within a four year range of their actual age. Thus, they knew they had to use false information, so they provided it with care (Moreno et al. 256). Because of the easiness to create an account falsely, it also makes it simpler to deceive one another. Deception is used to attack another user potentially causing upsetting consequences. The deception taking place online from networking is typically used to mislead others (Tsikerdekis and

Social media has become a barrier for many between real and virtual life in which users find comfort by hiding their true selves behind their media created profile. Social interactions are now seen as a frightening experience that many young adults find difficulty facing. Elizabeth Miller states that “It's possible that young adults who initially felt socially isolated turned to social media (Miller)”. Online social interaction is deemed easier because there is a physical barrier involved. By hiding behind a profile, being yourself is an option, you can create your own story and not worry about immediate responses. For example, teenagers discovered an outlet on the social media platform of Instagram by creating an alternative account known as a “finsta”. Finstas, short for fake Instagram, are private accounts intended to share personal pictures and ideas only to closest friends. These accounts are shared inside a smaller social circle and the user can use a false name. They can post, their good, their bad and their ugly truths and feel safe that these are only shared within a select and trusted group. Research has shown that users have trouble disconnecting from such accounts,

In this report there will be an analysis of the present status of our relationship with social media. The question that will be focused upon is: Is social media an addiction? A combination of both quantitative and qualitative data will be examined in an attempt to provide a balanced and accurate conclusion. Primary and secondary data will be considered including interviews, questionnaire data, national statistics and relevant journals/articles. Due to limited available primary research a conclusive answer may not be met, however a conclusion will be drawn from accessible information.

With the development of advances in technology, communication through social networking has risen immensely. Communicating is not only less complicated, it is also relatively inexpensive. “Many teens in relationships view social media as a place where they can feel more connected with the daily events in there significant other’s life, share emotional connections, and let their significant other know they care” (Lenhart, Anderson, and Smith). However, the ease of access to social networking has allowed many adolescents to become overly involved. Networking has the potential to influence adolescents both emotionally and physically which in turn may lead to negative behaviors. An article from procon.org stated, “The use of social networking sites is correlated with personality and brain disorders, such as the inability to have in-person conversations, a need for instant gratification, ADHD, and self-centered personalities, as well as addictive behaviors” (ProCon.org). Essentially, social networking has rising negative influences on teens because of increased cyber bullying, lack of respect for personal privacy, and its addictive qualities.

Social media like Facebook, Twitter and Snapchat are few examples of modern technology and are used by billions of people around the globe. Today social networking sites playing important role in our life. However the use, may be excessive use, of Facebook might be harmful to us to some extent. A study conducted by University of Michigan researchers claimed that “Facebook causes depression”(Kross 2). Facebook use predicts declines in subjective well-being instead of enhancing it. It is generally believed that socialization is good for psychological health. In fact this is true subject to some pre-set criteria. But socialization through Facebook is harmful. The study is the first published research that examined influence of Facebook on young adults. The focus was how happy they are and how satisfied with their lives over time. They researchers claimed that the more people used Facebook during one time period, the worse they subsequently felt. On the surface, Facebook provides an invaluable resource for fulfilling the basic human need for social connection. Rather than enhancing well-being, however, these findings suggest that Facebook may undermine it.

As the year’s progress, technology becomes more and more advanced. There are more resources and programs that people can use on a daily basis, one of those being social networking sites. Social networking sites are mainly known as positive resources but many may not know the damages it can create. There are various dangers that come along with those networking sites, some that people may not even know it is occurring. These dangers are more commonly found in teenagers because they are more susceptible to it, especially when it comes to technology and being online. Social networking sites are destroying our society, mainly teens, causing them to become acquainted with these dangers known as: addiction to being online, prevention of face to face interaction, and construction of false identity for themselves.

In fact very few of us can live without using gifts of technology. Social media like Facebook, Twitter and Snapchat are few examples of modern technology and are used by billions of people around the globe. Today social networking sites playing important role in our life. However the use, may be excessive use, of Facebook might be harmful to us to some extent. A study conducted by University of Michigan researchers claimed that “Facebook causes depression”(Kross 2). Facebook use predicts declines in subjective well-being instead of enhancing it. It is generally believed that socialization is good for psychological health. In fact this is true subject to some pre-set criteria. But socialization through Facebook is harmful. The study is the first published research that examined influence of Facebook on young adults. The focus was how happy they are and how satisfied with their lives over time. They researchers claimed that the more people used Facebook during one time period, the worse they subsequently felt. On the surface, Facebook provides communication tools for fulfilling the basic human need for social connection. But instead of enhancing human well-being these findings suggest that Facebook undermine it.

If someone had told me five years ago that I would be a YouTube junkie and Facebook addict, I would have told them they were insane! I mean, YouTube used to be mostly used only by people posting embarrassing family videos, as well as by wannabe singers and musicians, posting their latest accomplishments in the far-fetched hope of being discovered. There was absolutely nothing about it that interested me. Similarly, while originally created as a study tool for college students, Facebook has morphed into the largest and most influential social media tool in the world; but at 12 years old, I did not want to be “friends” with adults - especially my parents! Shortly thereafter, I was required to create a Facebook account for marching band and

Approximately one in every thirteen people in the world has a Facebook account. With this being said, it puts into perspective just how popular social networking is. As of 2011, over 500,000,000 people were registered on Facebook, and over half of them log in daily. With this being said, the demographic changes with age. Younger people and elderly people are less likely to have a Facebook, while 48% of adults age 18 to 34 have them. That’s almost half of that age bracket, an astonishing find to the popularity of social networking. But why do 72% of internet users in the U.S. have a Facebook? The answer is that it is appealing. People like being able to record their lives, and are happy to show them off to

Feeling anxious, Sarah asked for her phone back so she could look at her Facebook notification. Her mom said no but she just kept on begging and begging for it back until her mom noticed… Sarah was crying over an electronic device. At that point she understood that her daughter was falling into the deep, dark hole of social media addiction.

Today’s youth generation, has a strong attachment to the online world. Many adolescents spend most of their time online versus offline. Therefore, one can consider these adolescents as a social network addict, a person who spends a fair amount of time on one or many social platforms. Throughout the three articles, “Social Networking Addiction: An Overview of Preliminary Findings” by Mark Griffiths, “Social Network Sites: Definition, History, and Scholarship” by Nicole B. Ellison and “Taking Risky Opportunities in Youthful Content Creation: Teenagers’ use of Social Networking Sites for Intimacy, Privacy, and Self-expression” by Sonia Livingstone, show how this addiction has changed people’s communication among people. While there are