Shely Vargas: Jour.4460- Blog #9: Social Media- A real addiction?

With so many social media sites up and coming, it’s the new thing to talk about but can it really be as addicting as some say it is? According to prdaily.com, “A 2011 study found that 54 percent of social networkers felt a form of addiction to sites such as Facebook and Twitter, while a report from last month found that the urge to tweet might be as strong as the desire to smoke or drink alcohol” (Sebastian).

For some people, I have seen how important social media is to them. They are constantly updating statuses, photos and tweets. Is it healthy when social media starts to take over your life? People who are addicted to the social media sites like Facebook and Twitter use these sites to occupy their time. It becomes their only way of communicating with the world and in some cases, it becomes their only way to get real news in their opinion. Social media sties become a need for people, it’s just something they have to have in their life. I know I’ve caught myself many times before just checking my Facebook or Twitter when I’m bored. I don’t even realize I’m doing it sometimes.

Those who use social media say “they find it easier to justify glancing at a Facebook page than having a drink at 2 p.m. …The stigma, as well as the dangers, surrounding alcohol and tobacco don't exist with social media, so users are able to rationalize their actions as harmless”(Sander). With this being true, I find it kind of sad at the same time. I feel like with time, users will become really obsessed with their social media sites. Constantly checking their phones to see how many friends or followers they have becomes a daily habit and even a strong urge for some people.

Sometimes, it’s almost as if people use social media in order to feel like they are actually socializing when in reality, it’s not that way at all. For example, people who are constantly posting things and expressing their ideas online are some of the most boring people when you actually meet them face-to-face. So could social media be a form of hiding who they really are...or even trying to pretend to be someone they’re not?

On the other hand, some say social media is just a form of communicating and not an addiction. They feel if people consider it an addiction, they’re really just in need of attention and lonely. Which could also be true in the sense that it’s the only form of attention that one gets. They may feel better appreciated through social media sites.

So is social media really an addiction? Some will argue and say it is an addiction while others will just say it’s a way of keeping busy or just pass time. However, when it starts to interfere with your daily life and you start to shut people out from the real world, then it becomes a problem.