http://www.medicaldaily.com/articles/12581/20121008/facebook-more-tempting-than-sex.htm
In this article written by Christine Hsu, researchers at
Chicago University’s Booth Business School conducted an experiment by recording
participant’s willpower and desires over a weeklong period. According to this
research checking Facebook or Twitter may be more tempting than sex and
cigarettes. This is due to the fact that Social Media is a lot easier to
access, with a quick check on the phone or laptop with Internet people can
almost do this anywhere. Furthermore, it is more alluring than drugs due to it
being cheaper, these sites being completely free. Lastly, the addiction to work
was harder to resist than sports, sex, and spending money.
This
article is definitely interesting, however I believe this article only pertains
more towards people who like the interactions on Facebook in the first place. Often
times in many of my large classrooms I see a majority of people on Facebook
chatting or checking their notifications. Nonetheless, I think this could also
be due to boredom because I often find myself looking on Facebook to see if
anything new was good enough to distract me from work.
What
do you guys think? Is social media more addicting to these other stimulants? Do
you think you guys check your Facebook or Twitter more because you are bored or
because you constantly want to know what’s going on in other people’s life.
I don't think this study has a lot of validity behind it because it goes under the assumption that these people are "tempted" to access social media, especially relating it to sex or cigarettes. It's not an "addiction" to periodically check Facebook or Twitter. People mainly do it out of boredom or distraction. I don't think people are "tempted" to check their Facebook or Twitter because there is no "urge" behind their actions. If anything, it has to deal more with attention span rather than temptation.
ReplyDeleteI do believe that many people do it out of boredom however, while it is not on the scale of internet addiction as a whole. Social media has slowly become an addiction, the urge to post about what's going on in your life, update statuses etc. In the actual research that I did not write out here, the participants reported to experienced an urge within the last 30 minutes. While I believe this urge does not have the same effects as drugs or sex, the temptation to check facebook again did arise. Maybe many people just don't realize or feel the so called urge because they think it's the norm.
ReplyDeleteWhile I can see certain addictive similarities between the two, with the token reward system of the "likes" and the "poking" function employed by both, I cannot see how they are comparable. One is a natural biological impulse and evolutionary need to continue the dominance of our species, and the other is an septic pool of people's banalities and, if put in a vulgar way, serves only in an emotional masturbatory manner. The hallmark of these social sites are their invasive tendrils that provide an impulse to use it out of connivence, not addiction. The entire basis of this statement propose could be replaced with individuals reading newspapers sixty years ago, and it would carry the same weight. It is not the websites, it's the fact that bored individuals use it as a means for entertainment. Worse than that, the writer is stating that it is "addictive" due to it's ease of use. As far as I know, there are no symptoms of withdrawn for Facebook. There is a big difference between emotional vampires who need to present their life as both fulfilling and meaningful and individuals actually living.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I can understand that checking your social media sites might cause a biological reaction in your brain that causes you to have the desire to constantly check your page, I don't think it is MORE addicting than drugs or sex especially drugs. Because drugs biologically alter the chemicals in your brain in order to release certain hormones that cause different euphoric reactions, I don't think the mental response from having a "liked" picture on facebook could be nearly as powerful. I can understand, however, it being an addictive thing because of it's instant gratification and unnecessary constant availability. I really think that facebook addiction and sex addiction probably follow very similar patterns in terms of who is effected and for what reasons. However, is it MORE addicting, I'm not sure. I think there is a much more significant amount of endorphins released during drug use or sexual activity than checking your facebook which is why I am skeptical to believe facebook is more addicting.
ReplyDeleteThis article was pretty short so it did not have a lot of evidential support. I found it interesting and believable, however, because social media sites are free and always readily available. I think most college students can account for the fact that we waste an unbelievable amount of time on the computer whether we are trying to write a paper or focus in class. I think anything can become addictive without the proper self-control and the constant availability of social media doesn't help out our case either.
ReplyDelete...Now if only there were a treatment for Facebook addiction!!
I don't think sex and social media can be compared because they're two completely different things. However, I definitely believe that social media is addicting to some people. They are not necessarily addicting because people are interested in other people's lives, but more so that people are just bored. I myself frequent Facebook much more often when I am bored than any other time. I also do not use Facebook to stalk all my friends; half my "friends" aren't actually friends, just acquaintances, so I honestly couldn't care less what they're doing. I usually am just looking for a quick fix of entertainment, such as a funny picture or post. The true social media addicts are those people who feel it necessary to post about every single detail of their lives. It is hard for most people to become addicted to social media when it is cluttered with such useless posts and uncomfortable glimpses into people's souls.
ReplyDeleteIn conclusion, Facebook has the easy access and quick reward that are addictive, and sex has the extreme "high" that is addictive. One is not more addictive than the other--they are separate.