Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Social Media Addicts Anonymous


I will be the first to admit it: I am addicted to social media.  I find myself checking Facebook at least once an hour and “tweeting” numerous times throughout the day. This obsession is not something I am proud of , but I must say that I am not alone in this addiction. Many of us find it difficult to keep off of electronics for more than a few minutes. Am I right or am I right?

So a couple of days ago, while studying at home, I dropped accidently my phone in a cup of coffee.  I tried soaking it in rice and drying it off in hopes of reviving my Blackberry. Unfortunately , I had no luck in doing so . Needless to say , I purchased a new iPhone 4S a couple hours later and was back in business! Those few hours without a phone were torture as I found myself like a lost puppy with nowhere to go. Being phoneless is not a fun experience, even if it is only for a small amount of time. I thought to myself, how am I going to function without texting, tweeting and checking Facebook?! It was messing with my mental health!

What is our society coming to that more people in India have cellphones than a functioning toilet? The need to be connected is now more important than necessities like going to bathroom! This addiction is part of a worldwide pop culture of social media. One must wonder if this need to be constantly connected affects more than just our online life?

A recent article in Psychology Today examined the emotions that are connected to the usage of sites such as Facebook. Where everyone can write whatever they want, whether it be true or not . This plays a huge effect on ones psyche . In the Anti-social Network article by Libby Copeland , she made note that the impressions that other people give off on the internet can make one feel inferior to others online. Why are we even so concerned about other people’s lives in the first place? Checking what our “friends” are doing on by Facebook or Twitter updates , must not help enhance any real life relationships, but we still continue to do it!

I wonder what would happen if we all just took a couple of days to unplug ourselves from our digital society? I cannot even imagine how hard it would be to just shut off my phone, computer and iPad for even a few days. Maybe I will try that out sometime and get in touch with nature or read a book or something!

For now, here is a website that might help you addicts like me!

1 comment:

  1. Cell Phone Addiction

    It’s true that people are addicted to cell phone, No matter where I am, it goes with me , I happened to forgot my cell phone at home , on day that I felt that my world is small because I cannot received call text or call a friend .when you look at your cell phone bills. How much are you talking, texting, and emailing, regardless of the dollar amount you pay, look at how many minutes a day you spend on the cell phone per day it’s a lots
    Lam Wuor

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