If you use social media on a daily basis, you can begin to crave it and think about getting on even when sitting in class or at a job. Most often, it could be due to boredom, but many times, people have a social media addiction that they don’t even realize. It is also possible that with each new generation, the use of social media and technology is beginning at younger ages and could lead to a deeper addiction as they grow.
“Addiction is a strong word. Statistically given the number of students we have, yes, I believe that some students are addicted to their social media use but here I am using the word of addiction as not being able to not use social media - they must use it instead of choosing to use it and the majority of my students are choosing to use it,” Dr. Melissa Spirek of the Communications Department said.
An article by PC World said that some social problems that can stem from social media addiction are “sleep depravity, anxiety, depression, loss in academic studies and work, and anger management issues.”
“In 2017, 81 percent of the population in the United States had a social networking profile, representing a three percent growth compared to the previous year,” according to Statista.
If you find yourself staying up late just to scroll through your accounts and chat or even using it in places such as the shower, on the toilet and while driving, there is a chance you’re on the path to some level of addiction.
Social media is incredibly beneficial when used at appropriate times and when it doesn’t affect your daily life and physical or mental health.
“It is common I ask students to expand examples and such and have them use social media to find examples or conduct informal content analyses with their social media accounts for my research methods classes. It is more unusual to have students NOT using social media in my class. In short I would approximate that 10 percent of my students in my face-to-face class are using social media for an array of reasons. At times it explicates what we are working on in class and at other times it is a distraction,” Spirek said.
If you feel like you need to cut down on your social media use, a quick way to get started is by downloading a social blocking app. Most of the apps work by showing you how often you use certain sites and social apps in a day and allowing you to block those specific apps and sites for set periods of time to allow you to get more “important” things done. If you feel you need more serious help, don’t be afraid to reach out to a therapist or counselor.
“As long as people are mindful of their media use and know that there is an option to not choose to use social media, my students are doing well. I even encourage my students to take pictures of models and theories we are studying when we place these on the board,” Spirek shared.
