21st century is the age of information. People can communicate with each other via technology rather than meeting in person. By browsing Social Networks, such as Facebook, Twitter and MySpace, people can know their friends’ recent activities, interests and the like. Despite the conveniences the internet has brought people, there are also some drawbacks. Although internet has flourished people’s lives with innumerable information at their fingertips, sometimes it can simply turn into a time-waster. Since people can readily reach out to another logging into Social Networks, people are prone to become addicted to it. Here are some reasons why people become addicted to Facebook:
a) Escape from Reality
Facebook can sometimes be characterized as an escape from reality. With just a few clicks, you share what’s on your mind and construct your own cyber reality, however distant it may be from your own.
b) Close Connections
Spending a lot of time on SNS (Social Networking Service) is not necessarily detrimental, especially for people who wish to catch up with old friends. SNS provides a platform to rebuild lost relationships and nurture new ones.
c) Peer pressure
Teenagers are probably the largest users of Facebook who wish to stay in touch with their peers all the time. Being one of them. we are bound to check out Facebook all the time in order to know our peers’ latest update. If we do not know the hottest news or trend, we will feel left out. Therefore, Facebook can sometimes feel like a burden on our shoulders rather than a platform where we can make friends and build relationships.
How do addicts tackle addiction to Facebook?
a) Escape from Reality
Facebook can sometimes be characterized as an escape from reality. With just a few clicks, you share what’s on your mind and construct your own cyber reality, however distant it may be from your own.
b) Close Connections
Spending a lot of time on SNS (Social Networking Service) is not necessarily detrimental, especially for people who wish to catch up with old friends. SNS provides a platform to rebuild lost relationships and nurture new ones.
c) Peer pressure
Teenagers are probably the largest users of Facebook who wish to stay in touch with their peers all the time. Being one of them. we are bound to check out Facebook all the time in order to know our peers’ latest update. If we do not know the hottest news or trend, we will feel left out. Therefore, Facebook can sometimes feel like a burden on our shoulders rather than a platform where we can make friends and build relationships.
How do addicts tackle addiction to Facebook?
1) Be cognizant of the amount of time you spend on Facebook!
The first step is to realize that we are currently spending too much time on Facebook and to try to abstain from it. We need to establish a time limit for how much time should be spent on Facebook everyday. Abstaining from something works best when it comes from within; however it can always be more helpful to find a reliable person to oversee your progress.
2)More communication with friends!
The reason why addicts spend extensive amount time browsing Facebook is that we lack adequate communication with the others. They feel isolated from the social group and want to make that up by browsing others’ updates. In order to shorten the time those addicts spend on Facebook, more communication is needed.
3)Occupy yourself!
We always spend our day sitting in front of laptops and scrolling Facebook page up and down to wait for people’s updates. Go outside and occupy yourself up! There are a lot of ways to spend your day than just sitting in front your laptops. Life does not just consist of Facebook! There are better and meaningful things for you to do. As those things occupy our day, you will start to see how delightful life can be.
4)Put gadgets away!
Even though electronic devices shorten the distance between people, sometimes they just turn into time-wasters. It is extremely hard to focus and concentrate with them lying them. They can be really tempting and distract from work. We cannot help ourselves from using those gadgets and going online. So, put these away while we are working!
Life places us in a complex relationship with other people. Facebook can flourish and enrich our lives, but sometimes it can deprive you of your valuable time. Don't be ashamed of being addicted to Social Networks. Millions of teenagers are undergoing this kind of situation. Let’s get rid of the virtual cage and embrace the wonderful life.
By Billy Namikawa