Social Media Addiction Thought to be On Par with Drug Abuse

Albany, NY (PRWEB) January 02, 2015 -- Social media and illegal drugs couldn’t be more different, but reports are now suggesting that addictive social media behavior can be linked with substance abuse. According to the Huffington Post’s report on the 13th December 2014, new research from the University of Albany is suggesting that social media is just as addictive as drugs and alcohol, and that millions of people could be at risk. The research found that those who use social media on a regular basis could be at a higher risk of impulse-control issues, including substance abuse.

The report goes beyond previous claims which have explained that social media can be addictive, and actually suggests that people who are addicted to social media could more easily become addicted to illegal substances and alcohol.

By surveying 253 undergraduate students, researchers discovered that around 10% of people experienced addictive behaviors surrounding the way that they use Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and other social networks. A number of questions were used, including ‘How good does Facebook make you feel’? The questions were specifically designed to find out how addictive social media really is, and the perceived benefit it provides its users.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/12/13/social-media-addiction_n_6302814.html

The scientist who led this new study, Julia Hormes, is a psychologist with a particular interest in how people behave when browsing the Internet. The study performed by Hormes found that around 67% of people in the United States received Facebook notifications on their mobile phones not just on an intermittent notification system, but on ‘push’. This means that as soon as they receive an update or notification on their account, their mobile phone will inform them right away.

Hormes did explain, however, that this new research should not be used as conclusive evidence that regular use of social media constitutes a real and legitimate addiction. In fact, Hormes described that there is not a real question about what can actually be considered an addiction. The answer, according to Hormes, depends on how you define the word addiction. Some people assume that addictions are specifically related to substances that are ingested, while others may consider it to be a more broad term. The evidence is interesting, but certainly not conclusive.

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Robert Niznik, Harbor Village Inc., http://www.harborvillageflorida.com, +1 (305) 999-5728, [email protected]