The issue of social media dependency hasn't been an unfamiliar discussion since the glorious climb of Facebook up the ladder in the world of social networking from 2004 till today.
Some call it the social media addiction. According to dictionary.com, addiction is defined as
the state of enslaved to a habit or practice or to something that is psychologically or physically habit-forming, as norcotics, to such as extent that its cessation causes severe trauma.Last year at this time, I spoke to the director of SCSU Counseling and Psychological Services regarding the issue of such a habit. Dr. John Eggers said it may not be appropriate to call it an addiction but definitely it is a form of dependency.
So what exactly is this dependency about?
To more than 500 million Facebook users today, Facebook has become a part of daily routine. Take on that number, if Facebook were a country, it would be the third most populated nation in the world - ahead of the United States. Let's make it even more dramatic: one-third of the proportion of women aged 18-34 checked Facebook when they first wake up - even before going to the bathroom!
Doesn't it explain where such a habit is heading to? It has unquestionably become a form of dependency to use Facebook - and other social networking sites like Twitter and Myspace - beyond its original purpose as simply a tool to connect with people.
Today Facebook contains games, videos, images, links, feeds - almost everything and anything that you think can show up on a 14-inches screen. CNN Senior Medical Correspondent Elizabeth Cohen wrote an interesting article in April 2009, "Five clues that you are addicted to Facebook":
- You lose sleep over Facebook
- You spend more than an hour a day on Facebook
- You become obsessed with old loves
- You ignore work in favor of Facebook
- The thought of getting of Facebook leaves you in a cold sweat
It is not shocking to realize that many of us do use Facebook for more than an hour in a typical day. I personally have Facebook profile page appear on one of my browser tabs as long as my laptop computer is turned on, which is, all the time.
Let's take a step back and look at it with an objective lens. Has Facebook disturbed any of your daily activities or responsibilities? On the one hand I agree that Facebook has become a vehicle for many people to get linked and to know more people out there in the world, it has also fleshed out the old-fashioned communication channels by providing real-time commentary and flexible profile setting options. On the other hand, the features on Facebook has been misused by individuals to gain attention.
Now it makes more sense about this act of dependency. Facebook isn't the issue, it was the people's desire to get noticed. In my ad classes I learned that the need for love and belongingness on Abraham Maslow's hierarchy of need is the most functional need of all. Many advertisers target this aspect of need within their consumers while placing their products in a particularly desirable position.
The concept is the same here as many Facebook users yearn to gather attention. Even eHow.com provides a guide of "How to get attention." Though getting noticed in the job market is seemed crucial today, such an act should not go overboard. There are many ways to published oneself, Facebook is just one way. Other means of communication, including face-to-face communication, should not be neglected. Build a portfolio, keep a journal, write a blog, join a forum, go to social meetings - just don't worship Facebook.
In short, don't just fix your eyes on one channel and become overly dependent on it. I do not deny that Facebook is indeed a great social networking tool, and that Mark Zuckerberg is really a genius, yet I want to make a point here that such a tool should remain a tool.
This leads to my research on the usage and implications of social networking sites on college students. As you may have known by now, this is why I am writing this appetizer to encourage all of you to come to my presentation at the Student Research Colloquium that will be held April 19, 2011 at the Atwood Memorial Center. Please come out and support us.
At the mean time, let's ponder upon the ways we are using Facebook today and check if we have "exploited" such a tool.
