Social media is one of the internet’s most popular products. It allows people from all over the world to connect. It also focuses on making sure that you can’t go more than a few hours without checking in once. They do it in the sneakiest way possible, though. So, it’s not entirely your fault if you get addicted to social media. You should, albeit, stay aware of the signs of addiction. Make sure you don’t get too caught up in it or a false sense of self-esteem from “likes,” and ” follows.” There are a lot of people all over the world who have identified with this problem. Excessive use of social media can put a dent in your real social life which is unhealthy and unrecommended by experts.https://www.optoff.com/media-giants-adm…shing-the-masses/
Are You Addicted to Social Media?
Believe it or not, social media addiction has become so common, that there is an actual scale to determine whether or not you are addicted to social media. The scale is called the Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale, and psychologists use it to determine if, and how severely, people are addicted to social media. If you would like to find out if you are addicted to social media, you can take the quiz here on Psychology Today. Once you answer the questions, if you have scored a 4 or 5, you may be addicted to social media. While this is a brief quiz to gauge how often you feel you must view your social media accounts, it’s a good indicator as to whether or not you may need to step back from social media platforms for a while.
Why Are People so Addicted to Social Media?
Marc Benioff, a sales force tech advisor, cautions that social media accounts should be regulated much in the same way as cigarettes. In an article in The Guardian, he argues that social media is highly addictive and that it is a product that is designed to be addictive. Social media isn’t addictive because of a substance, like nicotine, however the opportunity to remain connected to so many people, and information all the time is an allure many people find hard to resist. Of course, consumers will not be happy if social media becomes regulated. But just like consumers were not pleased when cigarettes became controlled, it may be for their own good.
Ways to Break your Addiction to Social Media
Social media is designed to keep you hooked on it for the latest updates. If you have ever spent an hour away from your social media account, you know that is an hour’s worth of updates that you missed. This means it could take you hours to catch back up and while you are doing that, it has updated again. For this reason, it is necessary to set limits for yourself when it comes to social media. Much like television, you need to set rules and guidelines about how you operate it. After a specific time, vow to not sign on to social media. Set time limits for yourself, so you do not become lost in all of the updates. RealSimple has some more suggestions to help break your social media addiction.
Social media has become an addiction that is hard to break free from. However, if you set limits for yourself, you will be able to navigate the world of social media without completely dehumanizing yourself and ruining your social skills. OPTOFF.