Facebook Addiction
Is there really such a thing as Facebook Addiction Disorder (FAD) or is the phenomenon merely blown exponentially out of proportion by those who don’t understand it? Social networking has changed the way we communicate, socialize, get our news, shop and perform a multitude of other tasks. That change is in no small part due to the popularity of Facebook and other social networking platforms. Some people are so enamored of the site and its varied offerings that their behavior has been described as addictive lending credibility to the idea of a Facebook Addiction.
Facebook History 101 – Before Facebook Addiction
Steve Zuckerberg never dreamed that people would be battling an addiction when he created the precursor to Facebook during his sophomore year in 2003 as a means of socializing with other college students attending Harvard. After several tweaks and expansions into other colleges, a high school version was launched in 2005. A few companies like Apple and Microsoft were allowed to access the program and by September 26, 2006, anyone 13 or older with a valid email address could use Facebook. The Internet has never been the same since.
Origin of Facebook Addiction
Facebook allows people to be as social as they want while hiding behind a veil of anonymity. Sharing status updates about themselves, photos and glimpses into their daily lives, people can connect with distant relatives, friends, long lost classmates, even old flames. Many use the connections for business purposes. This is true of most social networking environments, though.
Where Facebook differs is in its ability to provide a variety of applications that allow users to expand their Facebook experience. Games, pages of favorite people and products and specialized groups all allow users to customize their Facebook experience with the hopes of keeping them engaged for longer periods of time. The strategy is working as many people spend hours and hours tied into the system every week. As hours spent on the site increase, so does the possibility of developing a Facebook Addiction.
Facebook Addiction?
Dictionary.com defines the term addiction as “the state of being enslaved to a habit or practice or to something that is psychologically or physically habit-forming, as narcotics, to such an extent that its cessation causes severe trauma.” With this understanding, Facebook Addiction certainly can be considered an addiction for some people. Another term might be, a compulsion, “a strong, usually irresistible impulse to perform an act, especially one that is irrational or contrary to one's will,” according to Dictionary.com.
CNN reported in 2009 that though no actual medical diagnosis exists for “Facebook addiction,” mental health providers including psychologist Paula Pile of Greensboro, NC are seeing more patients with Facebook Addiction-related issues. Pile developed a test to help determine just how dependent a patient might be on Facebook. Questions have to do with how upset a user would be if they couldn’t access Facebook over a vacation or even ever again. Other questions have to do with the value placed on Facebook relationships over real life relationships. Answering yes to a number of the questions could suggest that a Facebook Addiction exists.
Facebook Addiction is a serious problem with many people checking their "wall" several times a day, this is Facebook Addiction. With over 200 million Facebook users, imagine how many people may suffer from from th. The work site offers another opportunity for Facebook Addiction to emerge as sufferers are continually checking the "state of things" while working their computers.
Who Is at Risk of Facebook Addiction?
Because of the diverse appeal of Facebook, almost anyone from any walk of life can be at risk. Those who are homebound or who work from home are susceptible to the lure of access to a social community that never sleeps. Teens in particular are often drawn to the latest trending fad, sometimes with dire consequences. Homemakers, insomniacs and business professionals seeking to broaden their social networks can all become ensnared in the lure of stalking the status updates for ‘just a few more minutes.’ Sadly, for many, that’s when the trouble begins. Facebook addiction can affect anyone, anytime.
Warning Signs of Facebook Addiction
There are several signs that tell you are in over your head with your use of Facebook. A person with this addiction might have any of these symptoms but having two or three is a pretty good indicator that your social networking has gotten out of hand.
Withdrawing from real life relationships is a significant indicator and should not be taken too lightly. Choosing to spend time on Facebook rather than visiting friends and family, participating in sports or engaging in other social activities can cause damage to real life relationships. Forgoing real dates for virtual ones on the site, skipping coffee with a client in favor of a Facebook chat or forming a Facebook group instead of attending meetings might all be explained away as time-saving but could actually be signs of Facebook addiction.
Facebook addiction may be to blame if stress, anxiety and depression are experienced when Facebook is not available. Some addicts will feel the need to talk about Facebook and the events on their pages when they cannot access the site. These feelings can be exacerbated when the user has to engage in real world activities that prevent him from participating in Facebook activities.
Extreme cases offer their Facebook name to new acquaintances and prefer to speak to everyone they know on the site rather than over the phone or in person. Eight out of ten friends on Facebook are people they have never met in the real world. Those with a this addiction like to brag about the number of "friends" they have.
Whether or not Facebook addiction is a real medical condition is moot when there are millions of people affected by their compulsion to spend increasingly excessive amounts of time socializing within the site’s confines. Perhaps the best way to determine if you or someone you love suffers, assess the impact that Facebook is having on their everyday life. If your job, home, family and other relationships are suffering, it may be time to seek help for this disorder.
I hope this has clarified the term Facebook Addiction and given you an insight into the power it can wield over the sufferers life
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