Addiction is defined as “to occupy or involve in something habitually or compulsively.”
It’s difficult to find somebody nowadays who doesn’t have a Twitter or Facebook. Most people are connected to social media in one way or another. Many people are emotionally invested in social media websites. It has become an extension of their social life, allowing them to stay in contact with offline friends, online. But, like anything else, social media has the ability to be overused and abused.
Many people today may be addicted to social media. The average Facebook user spends 75 minutes per day on Facebook and logs in 6.1 times. Seventy percent of users log into their profile every time they start their computer. Studies have even found that heavy social media users feel less happy about their lives, yet, continue to use the websites regardless. It would seem that these social media websites are habit-forming.
While there are conflicting arguments in the medical community debating whether social media is actually addictive, one thing is certain: Facebook, Twitter and other social media platforms in general are becoming more popular everyday. They are gaining more users by the minute and making it easier to keep in contact with other people. Social media is a helpful tool that can be used by anybody. It just needs to be utilized in moderation, just like everything else.