SOCIAL MEDIA AND TECHNOLOGY ADDICTION
Aug 12, 2015 7:18:46 GMT
Post by Ma'am Gem on Aug 12, 2015 7:18:46 GMT
Computer/Internet Addiction Symptoms, Causes and Effects
As with alcohol or caffeine, some people are able to handle the social media revolution that is sweeping the planet earth. However, more and more people are not able to handle it. Here are some signs to look for that indicate a problem with social media:
1. Spending more than one hour daily at social media sites. Some would say one should not spend more than half an hour daily.
2. Checking Facebook whenever possible. Some people leave the program open and switch back and forth to it while working, for example. Others use a phone App to check it while eating lunch with friends, for example. This is extremely rude, but one observes it a lot.
3. Over-sharing. In an age when many people are very concerned about their privacy, some people are sharing very private information or photos with their Facebook friends or on other sites. A possible reason for this is to gain approval or acknowledgment from peers. This is sometimes called the need for social affirmation.
4. Hearing from friends and family that you are spending too much time on the social networking sites.
5. Interference with work, school performance or your offline social life. Some studies report that too much time on the social media can reduce work performance and even lead to job loss. It can also cause lower school grades.
Some people also become more comfortable with the often superficial banter on the social networking sites than they are with real face-to-face social relationships. One can become over-reliant on Facebook to fulfill social needs, and one may start sacrificing real-life socializing.
6. Withdrawal symptoms if you try to cut down on the time you spend on social media.
7. Obsessive thoughts about “friends” or other aspects of the social media. For example, some people spend much time deciding what to post, how to update their page, or how to answer “friends” on Facebook. Often, they try to think of happy, clever and fun ideas or statements, even if this is not the way they really feel. However, they do not want friends to know how they really feel, as they might not continue as friends if they knew.
Another example is spending more than fifteen minutes thinking about what you ought to type for your status update. Afterwards, do you eagerly anticipate how others will respond to it?
8. Reporting. There are “friends” who often appear on our newsfeed with some status update, check-in, posting of their photos and such.
Their posts tend to be on very mundane matters, much like how someone reports to another what he or she is doing at any given moment. They report to you their daily routines (e.g. taking a piss), broadcast check-ins to uninteresting places like the street they live in, upload self-portraits and such.
9. Looking for new Facebook friends in an almost competitive way. Research by psychologists from Edinburgh Napier University found that Facebook users with more friends on their network tend to be more stressed when using Facebook. The more friends you have, the more you feel pressured to maintain appropriate etiquette for different types of friends while remaining entertaining. In other words, the competition in adding friends may result in a vicious cycle of increasing Facebook-related tensions, resulting in worse addiction outcomes.
10. Escapism. If you are using your time on the social media to avoid conflicts or problems that are occurring in your real life. You can know this because when you are “down”, you turn to Facebook or another social media site to feel better.
11. Losing sleep to go on Facebook or other sites. It is bad enough if your social networking interferes with your daily work and studies. However, it is really out of hand if you stay up late at night to check Facebook, for example, or must wake up early to check it in the morning. Staying up late is one characteristic of those who overuse social networking sites, according to some studies.
Internet Addiction TreatmentInternet addiction can cover a wide variety of problems, from compulsions to use social network sites through to shopping, gambling and pornography.Internet addiction treatment can help resolve these issues through counselling and abstinence. Online addiction has been brought sharply into public awareness due to the headline making case of parents who let their toddler die of malnutrition whilst they spent time gaming on the internet, and a recent study of over 1,300 young adults in Leeds suggested that just over 1% met criteria for Internet addiction.
We understand embarking upon recovery can be an emotionally turbulent time for you. With this in mind, the Priory offers a free initial assessment with an experienced therapist at all of our addiction treatment hospitals and clinics to help you discuss your addiction in confidence.
What are the symptoms of online addiction-
The most obvious symptom is spending a long time in front of a computer for reasons that are not work-related. Generally there is irritability or a bad mood if access to the internet is blocked or has to be abbreviated. Pleasurable anticipation of internet use is common, although many internet addicts see their internet overuse as a form of stress management. Multiplayer role-play gamers may also see their usage as a form of social contact. As the addiction becomes more severe, internet usage becomes more important than most other activities and major social problems are likely to follow.
Consequences of internet addiction-
Related anxiety and low mood
Social withdrawal and isolation
Marital and sexual problems
Employment or coursework / education issues
Care and management for individuals affected by Internet addiction-
Once internet overuse reaches the point where it causes major problems, abstinence is the only solution. There are fellowships similar to Alcoholics Anonymous for those whose internet compulsion takes the form of gambling or pornography, which include Gamblers Anonymous and Sex Addicts Anonymous. There are also self-help groups that deal with the more notoriously addictive role-play games, but no groups presently exist for Internet addiction help.
Question:
What can you do about Internet addiction if you think you have it?
Can using Internet be a simple pass-time or a hobby?
Can using Internet be a simple pass-time or a hobby?
