It is without a doubt the fact that social media has taken over our generation. I doubt there are many people who have no clue what Facebook, Twitter, or Tumblr is at this point. With so many different social media outlets available for anyone to join and participate in, today we see our generation becoming incredibly hooked on these outlets because of their entertainment and ability to connect us with people who share our interests. Of course, a large portion of us use social media so much throughout the day that perhaps our parents are right when they tell us we’re addicted. If you do any of the five below, you may have to admit that social media is your addiction.
1. You Have Multiple Social Media Accounts
The first realization that you may be addicted to social media is when you are actively engaging in multiple social media outlets. I’m talking Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, Pinterest, and Snapchat (with many more). If you are actively engaging in so many of these outlets daily, you are probably spending more time than you would like to admit updating your numerous accounts. As we all know, in order to keep your follower count on some of these media sites, you must remain active. The more active you are, the more followers you can gain and the more “popular” you become.
2. You Take Endless Amounts of Photos
Some of the social media outlets we have today are image and video mandatory. Instagram is all about pictures and Vine is all about videos. Some of the best blogs on Tumblr are all about photography. To have an entertaining time on these outlets, it is crucial that users update their accounts with numerous photos or videos to communicate to the world. If you are constantly pulling out your camera or phone to snap a photo of practically anything (including yourself), you may be falling into the addiction zone.
3. Like My Post!
On Instagram and Tumblr, for example, every post can be liked, or on Tumblr gain “notes.” For many addicted bloggers, the ultimate goal is to get as many likes as possible. Throughout your time here, you learn what time is best to make a post or how to tag your posts right so more people will see them. The addiction comes when you start posting things and then you continuously check your phone, hoping that people are actually liking your posts and making that post worthwhile. It becomes even worse when no one is liking your post, and then you proceed to delete it, in order to make a better one. It’s bad…
4. Laptop? Social Media. Phone? Social Media
I am not sure exactly why this happens, but for those of us who are addicted, we will literally have our social media outlets open on two screens at once. While the laptop is open and the screen is on Facebook, I’ll be scrolling down Tumblr on my phone. It is also possible (most likely if you’re an addict) that there are multiple tabs open on your laptop, all containing your numerous accounts. You look like you’re pretty busy with school work, when in reality you’re very busy updating your five accounts.
5. News Alert!
Instead of actually watching the news, us addicts have become people who find out all the world news just by scrolling down our Facebook wall or our Tumblr dashboard. Of all the important news that has come around from when I joined social media, the TV was always the secondary source that updated me on it. As usual, I am always on one of my many social media accounts when I am informed about a shocking piece of global news.
So, you’re addicted to social media? You are much like the huge population of college kids who walk around with their phones out, updating their blogs and statuses as they walk to class. While many argue how out of touch we are with reality, I’d like to argue that we are more in touch with it because of the access we have. We are able to communicate with others through these accounts, share our lives, and stay in touch with people we would otherwise not talk to that much. Plus, knowing your way around social media is starting to look even more impressive to employers who need someone who knows the internet! It is definitely a great thing!