CalendarAdvertiseDistributionArchiveShopAboutContact
Close
Best of Erie 2018
News & Politics
Events
Music
Arts & Culture
Opinion
Food & Drink
Issues Archive
Web Only
Events Calendar
Advertise
More
Business
Community
Environment
Erie at Large
Features
Film
From the Editors
Jen Sorensen Cartoons
Just Toyin' Witcha
Music Reviews
Sports
Theater
Distribution Locations
About Us
Contact Us
Shop
Issue Archives
Share:
Tech Watch

Tech Watch: Addicted to Social Media

If you or someone you know is addicted to social media, read this now!

by Michael Haas
View ProfileFacebookTwitterInstagramGoogle+RSS Feed
March 7, 2012 at 6:30 AM

Are you constantly checking your Facebook newsfeed? Is your mobile device glued to your hands? Are you regularly updating your Tweets?

Don't worry, Erie Reader Readers: you're not alone; an estimated 350 million people are guilty of this addiction. Even our very own Michael Haas has been struggling with this addiction for the last two weeks after a malfunctioning smart phone.

Most people joke about their addiction to Facebook, but a recent study shows that there may be more truth to it than we initially thought. These studies reveal that social networks, such as Facebook and Twitter, are potentially more addictive than cigarettes or alcohol. 

The journal Psychological Studies published a survey of 250 people, revealing that sleep and sex were the two things they desired most during the day. It also showed that their need to check Facebook was too difficult for the majority of them to overcome. Regardless of their reputation for being addictive, alcohol and cigarettes produced lower levels of desire than the urge to check social networks. 

Wilhelm Hofmann, the leader of the team that conducted the study, said, "Modern life is a welter of assorted desires marked by frequent conflict and resistance, the latter with uneven success." Hofmann proposes that people may have a difficult time when it comes to resisting social media since there is no obvious or immediate downside to checking out Twitter or Facebook. The line between overuse and addiction of the Internet is not always well-defined. One negative aspect that Hofmann warns about is the loss of time that users of these services encounter. Oftentimes people become distracted by browsing social media and do not realize that an hour of their time passed by.  

"Desires for media may be comparatively harder to resist because of their high availability and also because it feels like it does not 'cost much' to engage in these activities, even though one wants to resist," Hofmann said. "With cigarettes and alcohol there are more costs – long-term as well as monetary – and the opportunity may not always be the right one. So, even though giving in to media desires is certainly less consequential, the frequent use may still 'steal' a lot of people's time."

The first Internet addiction rehab clinic in the United States of America, reStart, recently opened in Washington.  With a staff of professionally trained clinicians they are able to help individuals, couples, and families understand their addictions to gaming, Internet, and technology through their Addiction Recovery Program. Their staff understands technology-related process addictions and the impact problematic use has on life. 

The mission of reStart states that they are: "specifically oriented towards launching tech dependent youth and adults back into the real world. Our individually tailored program is designed to assist participants with an Internet and/or computer based behavioral addiction to break the cycle of dependency."

While the Internet is a great tool for education and communication, it is very important to find a healthy balance of being connected to the Internet and engaging in your real life with family and friends. In order to discover that balance, it is necessary to become mindful of your online and mobile phone habits, such as those with any other kind of addictive behavior, like cigarettes or alcohol continue to do.

As much as we love our social media and the ever-evolving Internet, it is essential to unplug and disconnect with your virtual world for the sake of connecting to the real world. Spring is about to bloom and as Erie begins its thaw, consider activities that you want to engage in with your peers. You can use the Internet to connect and make plans, but be sure to follow through with your plans. Take the time to get fresh air; after all, you have probably been hibernating all winter. Become mindful this spring and summer, try to disconnect, but remember to check in once in a while (at least to read Tech Watch in the pages of Erie Reader)!

Featured Events

Today Tomorrow This Weekend

Art Talk: The Language of Flowers

Visual Arts
Feb. 22nd, 6 PM to 7 PM

Charles Brown Experience, Conflicted 2 Music Video Premiere

Music
Feb. 22nd, 6 PM to 9 PM

Erie Open Figure Session Invitational

Visual Arts
Feb. 22nd, 7 PM to 10 PM

Towards Zero

Theater
Feb. 22nd, 7:30 PM

Gloria

Theater
Feb. 22nd, 8 PM

Submit Your Event   View Calendar

Reading the Future
Erie Reader: Vol. 9, No. 4
View Past Issues
In This Issue

Popular This Week

Flip for Flip Cafe

Tracing Erie's History of Redlining

More Than Waking Up: Erie's Best Coffee

Celebration of Music in Honor of Black History Month

Erie City Mission Looks to Give Homelessness the Hook

Related Articles

Searching with Purpose: Erie Data Systems

by Aaron Mook9/26/2018, 10:00 AM
Local tech business finds success through innovative ways to help those in need

Erie Faces Erie: February 15, 2017

by Ed Bernik2/15/2017, 1:45 PM
Wei-Shin Lai and Jason Wolfe: founders of AcousticSheep

Geeked Out: The 2015 IGF and GDC Awards

by John Lindvay3/30/2016, 11:45 AM
If you were interested in which amazing indie games came out last year, this is a good place to start.

Get Connected with Penn State Behrend's Digital Media Festival

by Dan Schank3/16/2016, 2:30 PM
A variety of regional and national innovators come together to talk tech.

Geeked Out: Deadpool: an unlikely superhero movie

by John Lindvay3/2/2016, 1:45 PM
Deadpool doesn't have the pop culture presence of other more ubiquitous superheroes, and that's exactly why it was exciting to hear a movie was in the works.

Geeked Out: Lumberyard

by John Lindvay2/17/2016, 3:30 PM
Amazon introduces their free-to-use engine called Lumberyard.
© 2019 Great Lakes Online Media
1001 State Street  //  Erie, PA 16501
Terms of Use Privacy Policy