Special Report: Facebook Addiction
Опубликовано: 2 Март, 2010
TWIN CITIES -- It's on your phone. It's on your computer. And it could be taking over your life.
Facebook is arguably the most popular social networking site around, but there is a dangerous side to it you might not be aware of. In a special report, WMBD's Twin Cities Bureau Chief Jacob Long explains how easily your Facebook use can turn into an addiction.
If there's one thing college students have in common, it's Facebook.
I.S.U. student Kate Pabich says, "I probably check my Facebook three to four times a day."
I.S.U. student Ryan Cashman says, "I probably go on it, if I can, at least every hour."
I.S.U. student Derek Kessinger says, "I check Facebook four times a day."
Between writing on each others' walls or checking endless amounts of pictures, these students say Facebook is their main source of communication. They even log on during class.
"It's pretty much a human creeping machine," Pabich says.
But it's not just college students who are surfing the site. High school students and adults are all over Facebook, too. In fact, Facebook has attracted 200 million users since its inception in 2004.
While most people practice perfectly healthy Facebook habits, a growing number of people don't.
"This is real for individuals. Individuals do suffer from this addiction, and it has been destructive to individual lives," says Coleen Moore with the Illinois Institute for Addiction Recovery.
Moore says Facebook can be as powerful as drugs and alcohol.
"Just like someone drinking alcohol, if you continue to use it more and more and more, it's eventually going to become a problem in your life and addictive for you," she says.
Here's how Moore says Facebook addiction works. First, you're drawn in by the chance to portray yourself in an online profile any way you want. Your inhibitions are lowered, and your body feels a sense of euphoria.
Then, when it's time to log off, you can't wait to log back on.
"What will happen over the course of time of someone continuing to engage in this behavior is eventually they won't feel that high or that sense of euphoria. Then, they'll keep coming back over and over again to chase it," Moore says.
And before you know it, you're addicted to Facebook. It's something I.S.U. students say isn't all that surprising.
Kessinger says, "People get addicted to video games. They can get addicted to Facebook. People are on it all the time."
Pabich says, "I think people think of Facebook like they do with television. They like the feeling of having their business broadcast to everyone else."
Facebook addiction isn't a real medical diagnosis, but it could have very real consequences. Moore says, "We're putting our lives at risk if we're busy writing on a wall or checking a status while driving. It's a serious problem."
Here are some warning signs to watch out for. You might be addicted to Facebook if you think about it while offline, panic if someone doesn't tag you in pictures, spend more time chatting on Facebook than you do in real life or give up a regular activity because you're too preoccupied with the site.
Cashman says, "I'm definitely addicted. It's so easy to become consumed because you can just see everything happening in front of you."
There is good news, however. Moore says her organization and others like it have tailored recovery services to meet the growing number of people becoming hooked on Facebook and other social networking websites.
"There is hope. Treatment is available for individuals. They can get help, and live a healthy, productive life," she says.
But like other addictions, the first step is admitting there is a problem. Then, with professional help, you can be on the road to recovery.
Moore says, "Abstinence is key. Abstinence from the computer and abstinence from the Internet. But if you must use the Internet for other reasons, you have to be strong for yourself to avoid Facebook and know what the recovery process is going to be like for you."