Internet and Social Media Addiction Essay

the problem of addiction is more prevalent to the young people than to the elderly people.

Griffiths (2005) also describes behavior addiction as any behavior whose features is distinguished by six main components of addiction which include; mood modification, tolerance, salience, conflict, relapse and withdrawal symptoms. Hence, any behavior that is characterized by any of the above is described as addiction. Similarly, there have been various forms of behavior witnessed among the youth, and there has been debate as to whether they can be described as an excessive form of behavior and ultimately consider them as addiction. These include; internet use, exercise, sex, playing video games among others which will be discussed in the subsequent section of this essay.
Researchers have been carrying out studies on different forms of behavioral addiction and based on this, Turel & Serenko (2012) came up with three models of behavioral addictions.

In the first model referred to as cognitive-behavioral model, is a situation where abnormal social networking results from maladaptive cognitions and usually magnified by various environmental factors hence leading to compulsive or addictive social networking.

In the second model referred to as social skill model, is a situation where abnormal social networking results because people lack self-interpersonal skills and prefer virtual communication to face-to-face interaction and as a result, this leads to compulsive or addictive social networking. In the following section, I will be discussing how internet social media addiction constitutes a social problem for society.
How internet and social media addiction constitute a social problem for society.

Like mentioned earlier, behavior among youths such as internet use, exercise, sex, playing video games among others may constitutes addiction behavior if it is distinguished by

six main components of addiction such as mood modification, tolerance, salience, conflict, relapse and withdrawal symptoms. If the above described behavioral action can cause one to neglect his or her duties then it constitute a social problem. This is illustrated in a study done by a study done by Cohen (2009) where he indicated that she asked a woman whether she was an addict of Facebook. In her response, the woman said that she is so addicted to Facebook to a point that she cannot even help her daughter with her homework.Instead of helping her daughter with homework; she is spending time in the social networking sites chatting and meeting people with whom she shares interest in within the social networking sites. This can results into negligence of our social responsibility in the family and can results into misunderstanding and even break ups or divorces in families.

Similarly, in a an article published by Daily Trust newspaper by Itodo (2011), he indicated that social media networking use is increasing at an alarming rate among the youth and school going students which could results in social media addiction. Consequently, if the trend continues, such behavior could results in poor academic performance among students, their spiritual life and even their social life if not properly controlled and hence this constitute a social problem for society.

Addictions such as online gambling can results to lose of finances and even cause one to neglect his duties and responsibilities in the family. This could also results in conflicts within families. Similarly, online pornography or online sex addiction can alter one’s behavior and have a negative impact in marriages or a situation where

partners cannot satisfy each other as a result of addiction from pornography or online sex addiction.Besides this, there has been an addiction that has been gaining popularity and commonly referred to as cyber-relationship or an addiction to online relationship. This is where people look for sexual partners online. Such kinds of behavior if not regulated could distort courtship and affect how people relates in the family.

Clinical psychologists are of the view that if the above behavior is not regulated then we would be witnessing “Facebook addiction disorder”. The Facebook addiction disorder could then result in mental preoccupation; neglect to personal life, tolerance, escapism and mood modification experience attributes which might occur in people who use social media and other social network excessively (Young, 2009).
Widespread of internet and social media addiction.

A study was carried out by International Center for Media and Public Agenda at the University of Maryland to determine the use and dependence on social media. In their study, they observed that the use and dependency on social media is mainly common among Generation Ys. They described Generation Ys as those people who were born between mid-1970s and early 2000s. According to the study the population of Generation Ys has increased with a majority of technological advances including internet and computer (Cabral, 2011). With the internet now in almost all urban centers and in some rural areas, social media addiction is now becoming worldwide.

Studies also indicate that the use of smart phone worldwide is on the rise and this has necessitated the use of social networking sites and thereby making addiction associated with social media sites becoming a global problem. Similarly, a study on the

addiction from social networking sites was carried out in 31 countries. Out of the 31 countries that the study was carried out in 7 regions, Middle East had the highest rate of internet addiction at 10.6%. This was followed by North America whose internet addiction stood at 8%. On the other hand in Asia, addiction to internet stood at 7,1%. The study also found that internet addiction is more likely to be found in countries with lower life satisfaction, hence justifying the cause of social media addiction which as will be discussed below is as a result of being lonely or when people are undergoing depression and feeling the urge to get emotional connection from friends online. Similarly, the study also indicates that countries with a higher traffic commute time index are more likely to get addicted to social media. This is due to the fact that there is a sense of boredom due to the long traffic snarl-up and to relieve themselves from the boredom, they get solace from the social media.

Social Causes of Internet and Social Media Addiction

Studies by clinical psychology indicate that internet addiction disorder is on the rise and this is being linked with the existing mental health issues such as depression. Similarly, a study done by Koreans indicates that some of the effects of social media addiction include marriage breakdown, loss of jobs, academic failure and even financial debt (Kuss& Griffiths, 2011).

There are several causes that have been attributed to social media addiction. First is the feel of loneliness among people especially among the Generation Ys. This has created the auger to network by surfing the internet and meeting friends

whom they share a common interest. As a result of the social connection they make online they become addicted to it since this is the only way they can find solace.

The second cause of social media addiction is emotional attachment they get from visiting an internet site or the level of interaction they obtain as a result of visiting the internet. An example of this is the online dating where several applications have been developed for online dating. Due to the interaction one get depending on whether they find a suitable partner online, they become addicted to the internet. Similarly through visiting a pornographic site one gets addiction to the site due to emotional attachment and the pleasure they get from visiting that site.

Third, social media addiction can be caused by peer pressure. For instance there are several online sites that sell accessories. As a result of peer pressure and the need to change with the fashion trends, people become addicted to such sites. Studies have also shown that women are more likely to get addicted to these online sites that sellthe accessories than men.

The fourth cause of social media addiction is the advance in technology. With the invention of the smart phone which has become relatively cheap on the market, the addiction to social media is on the rise. With the smart phone and expansion of broad band internet for surfing which is relatively fast from different service providers such as Vodafone, internet addiction is now becoming a common problem among the Generation Ys.

The fifth reason why social media addiction is on the rise is due to the opportunities that have been opening up

in the social media. Most companies have a LinkedIn, Facebook or a Twitter account where they usually post job opportunities, progress of different activities going on in their organizations or sharing events that they participated in and they would like to inform the public. As a result of this, people get hooked to these sites in search for any update on job opportunities or to follow up on vents going on within the organization they have a particular interest in. As a result they get addicted.

Lastly, another reason for social media addiction is the lust to make more money. With more and more sports gambling companies coming up, sports fanatics are increasing getting addicted to hit the jackpot and win money. This has put people into financial debt and a result of losing a lot of money due to lust. Even though their intention was to win the jackpot they end up losing everything.

Solution to the Problem

There are several solutions that have been proposed to remedy the social media addiction that people faces such as computer game addiction, online gambling or online shipping addiction, online pornography or online sex addiction among other. Below are solutions recommended by clinical psychologists to the problem arising from social media addictions.

First, victims of social media addiction are encouraged to spend more time with friends and family. This will take away the loneliness, or the distraction to get to social media. Second people have been urged to remove some of the social networking apps to reduce the urge to visit such sites on your phone and visit them when it is only necessary.

Thirdly, with the increasing cases of people losing

their jobs due to the addiction from the social media, people have been urged to use a schedule. This will ensure that people concentrate on their work and only visit the social networking sites when it is necessary or during their free time.Fourth, people have been urged to change their setting to limit notification messages that keep popping up and resultantly increase the urge to visit social networking sites. This will also ensure that people concentrate on their tasks without any distractions.

Fifth, people are being urged to cull their network. This will ensure that you respond to people whom you are familiar with to avoid responding to voluminous text which will consume a lot of your time and prevent you from concentrating on your job. Lastly, clinical psychologists are recommending rehabilitation for people who have been addicted from pornography and online explicit images and videos. In their view the first remedy for cure is accepting that there is a problem rather than living in denial. This will facilitate faster healing process.

In concluding, in as much as social media offers information sharing and provide opportunity to connect with friends, care should be taken to ensure that its usage is regulated to avoid addiction. Similarly, people addicted from pornography should seek rehabilitation as this may affect their social life and even in their marriages due to lack of satisfaction they will be getting in their marriages than from the pornography or online sex.

Reference

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2. Cohen, E. (2009). Five clues that you are addicted
   

to Facebook. CNNHealth.com
Griffiths MD (2005) A ‘components’ model of addiction within a biopsychosocial framework.
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