Let’s face it. Social media has become a way of life. Nearly everyone has at least one social media handle. There are very few people who don’t possess an Instagram, Facebook or Twitter account. Most of us have all three.
According to the New York Post, we are living in the social media era and everything pretty much revolves around social media.
Whether it’s The Shade Room or an old high school friend you’re keeping up with through pictures and tweets, or just checking to see how many likes you’ve received on your picture in the last hour, social media has become an addiction for many people in today’s society.
Have you ever thought about why you check your social media account so many time a day or why you’re so obsessed with how many likes you’ve received, or even why you can’t simply stay off these social sites?
The answer is simple: You’re addicted. Throughout the years the internet has become more widely used and cheaper to access. Cell phones with internet capability are ubiquitous, and the percentage of people who have cell phones has risen as well, easily making this bottomless source of entertainment a go-to thing, causing many people to lose focus of what it is they are doing or supposed to be doing, as well as lose track of time if they’re not careful.
According to Mediakix, people spend more time engaged in their phones than they do eating, drinking and socializing combined. And a study done by Smart In Sights in 2016 found that in one minute people publish 3.3 million Facebook posts 448,800 tweets, and 65,972 Instagram photos.
Social media for many is their own personal utopia, which is another reason it is so addictive. It allows any and every one to freely be whoever it is they wish to be. Social media is like a drug; no, it won’t cause physical harm like alcohol or cocaine, but it can damage to person’s emotions, behavior and relationships. Karl Jones, a SBI graduate student at FAMU, admitted he checked his social media accounts at least 60 times a day. “It’s hard, it’s like I can know I don’t have time to sit on Instagram and I’ll do it anyway.”
Taylor Atherton a fourth-year political science major, said, “Social media is just a part of life now. We find out things on social media many times before we hear about it in person. It’s easy to become addicted.” Social media has pretty much taken over society and has created a new type of addict. Now the question is, are you addicted?