10 Signs You Are You Addicted To Social Media
It was years ago and my children would spend hours either on MySpace or instant messaging and I wondered why they would want to spend so much time on the computer communicating on social 
media channels. Five years ago the term ‘Social Media Marketing” hadn’t even been invented yet but now our obsession with social media has moved on to include business social media activites as well as personal use. So now we can justify the time spent on social media as a business activity just to salve our conscience.
To put a few activities into perspective let’s check in on our social media and digital activities for signs of addiction and obsession by asking some pertinent questions.
Do you have following symptoms?
- When you leave your iPhone behind at home do you feel a sense of loss and isolation becasue you can’t check your Facebook or Twitter updates while out and about
- You check your Facebook account 20 times a day
- If you don’t receive a comment on your latest blog post within 12 hours you have suicidal thoughts
- You go away for a weekend without your laptop and your suffer severe heart palpitations?
- You have more social media icons on you iPhone than productivity apps?
- You stood in line for an Apple iPad for 24 hours just so you could update your Facebook on a bigger screen while on the move
- You have more online friends than you have in real life
- You Tweet on your mobile while walking
- You log on to Facebook before you have brushed your teeth in the morning
- You check your Facebook or Twitter updates ‘after’ going to bed
There are also some revealing graphics from Retrevo who comissioned a study of 1,000 online individuals to provide an insight into our digital proclivities.
The first provides some comparison between 3 types of users, under 25′s, over 25′s and iPhone users on Twitter and Facebook check ins.
Do you check/update Twitter, Facebook first thing in the morning?
The other graphic on digital addiction that I found rather revealing was “Can you be interrupted for an online message anytime?” which provides some revealing inclinations.
On the question who is the most social media obsessed country in the world in terms of time spent on average per month, that dubious award belongs to the Australians with the UK second, Italy third, the USA in fourth place and Spain holding down fifth spot.
Graphic courtesy of Nielsen Online Social Media report 2010
So what is your social media obsessions that have your partner or friends considering booking you into a specialist social media addiction clinic?
But before you answer that…take the poll!
26 Responses to “10 Signs You Are You Addicted To Social Media”
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How hilarious is this? Excellent–thanks for the fun of it. I don’t think we can just count in SoMedia, though. My hair girl just this morning about had a cow because my cell phone rang and I didn’t answer it. She just couldn’t understand why I wouldn’t want to connect with the person texting/calling me. I was thinking because we were in the middle of a conversation and she had scissors snipping at my neck, but apparently that was lost on her.
OMG! So funny! I’m surprised she didn’t answer it for you. I will share with my stylist when I see her this week.
And thanks for the article Jeff! I love the stats on interrupted during sex! Still laughing.
Guilty of more than 50% of the 10 listed! Eesh. But, in my own defense, this speaks volumes to the transparency and connectivity of the world we live in today. It’s far better to be social and connected than live a life of mystery.
I vaguely remember a time when I didn’t even want a cell phone because I didn’t want people to reach me any time they desired. Now, I’ve got stacks of social networks on the home page of my Blackberry. And I’ve just started using Foursquare and seeing why it’s so appealing and fun.
If someone needs to commit me for my social media use, so be it. Just as long as I can update my status while confined to a straight jacket.
Great post. I love the charts and graphs, they really help to visualize the issue. I found this funny because my post this morning was almost on this exact same issue (http://wp.me/pTCZM-58). Seems like we both had the same inspiration bug today.
Thanks for the great post, I look forward to them every day.
Great post. I have just recently started using some social media. I can understand why they can become addictive. Ironically, I am not a great fan of the cell phone. I use it only for emergencies and/or necessities–I won’t answer it if I am doing something else. My friends, however, act like the cell phone is an extension of their arm. It’s everywhere they go. They definitely have symptoms Nos. 1 and 2.
As I open this blog to read, my cat is almost sitting on top of the key board….is this the first sign?
Hello, my name is Ashley, and I am a social media addict. Before I do anything in the morning – even turn on the lights- I grab my laptop at the side of my bed (because I had to check my Facebook and Twitter before I could fall asleep) and I check to see what kind of activity happened while I was sleeping! Great post!
Guilty as charged! Well, the thing is, SM can also be fun while you work! On the plus side, I think it is great to be able to enjoy the things you do. On the negative, it does turn you into a hermit!
Great post! I have six symptoms – which isn’t so bad, I suppose. I think you can remove item #7, though.
Your “friends” online are really composed of *both* “real” friends and colleagues/associates. So really, everyone would check that off their list!
Thankfully only number 7 applies to me. I don’t own and ipad or indeed even a phone with an internet connection. On the whole I find Facebook hugely overrated and fairly trivial, inane and dull. It’s fine for keeping in touch with friends and family, but hey, that’s what the phone and personal visits are for if truth be told. I think many people are in danger of suffering from a lot of the above, and that is kind of sad, because I think long term for future generations, whilst technology is great, it will be very much at the expense of actual face to face communication – you know, actually talking to people? Remember that? I honestly believe we;re already starting to see that, with a lot of Gen Yers shouting about how great they are with technology but, when it comes to good old fashioned social interaction skills, a lot of them are found wanting.