What is the first thing you do in the morning? Tweet? Do you also find “logout” the hardest button to click? If your answer is yes, then you could well be an addict.
A new study by the University of Chicago has found that social media is more addictive than cigarettes and alcohol. The study found that though the urges for sleep and sex are stronger, people are willing to forgo many cravings in order to check their social profiles.
The pull of something interesting and spicy, even at the expense of another person’s privacy, comes naturally to human beings, and platforms like Facebook allow us to easily explore them. That is why Twitter or Facebook can be overwhelmingly addictive especially during the early days.
“The whole social media concept took interaction to a whole new level. It’s definitely addictive. I think part of the addiction comes from the fact that social media is like a giant party ‘out there’, where something is happening all the time. So it’s much easier to plug in and feel you’re part of something worthwhile going on,” says Ankush Thakur of Green Smyles, a multi-services agency.
Creative Ecstasy’s founder and screenwriter Nitya Prakash says that since we all are social animals, the urge to stay connected makes us an addict. “We often feel addicted because we are social and we want others to know about us. It is more like getting appreciated for something or just speaking your heart on a public platform. Moreover, Facebook is beyond its virtual limits now. The addiction is so intense that even if I log out at night, I find myself Facebooking from inside the quilt via my phone. It is a habit now and habits can be slave’s master,” says Nitya.
Experts say that most individuals who are leading busy lives or are introverts by nature and don’t prefer socialising in the real sense are twice as likely to be addicted to the social networking site to escape to their virtual world. Making friends, chatting and commenting then become a part of their daily schedule. It is always easier for such people to open up to strangers and trust them.
“If people don’t log on to check their notifications every couple of hours, they feel incomplete, almost like a vital organ missing from their system. This holds true for any addiction wherein the habit gets so embedded into one’s schedule that it becomes difficult to kick off,” explains personality development trainer Faraaz Kazi.
Faraaz further adds that as human beings we love to gossip and are always interested in what is happening in others’ lives, and social media gives us a perfect platform to keep a tab on other people’s relationships, network and popularity.