Social Media Addiction- 9 Signs that you are a Social Media Addict

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Can you imagine a day without checking your Instagram or Facebook or WhatsApp? The social media addiction has grown intensely especially during Covid. With so many online courses, videos, reels related to food, health, dance, singing, and language, etc. the face of the internet has changed drastically.



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Social Media is universal, it is blended in every podium, thanks to smartphones which have made it conceivable to stay connected online. When Blackberry came into existent, it revolutionized the way in which individuals would send messages and emails. It also spurred the evolution of the Android and Apple platforms, which rules the smartphone market.

The powerful platforms such as Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, etc. are just one click away.

The internet boom is popular amongst all age groups. As a result of its popularity, there is a lot of pressure on the millennials to maintain their social media parallel life. This has caused an unhealthy obsession with the internet, similar to other addictions like boozing, smoking, and drugs. So, what is a Social Media Addiction?

When there is an uncontrollable urge to check your WhatsApp messages or check how many likes you have got or you want to instantly reply to a comment, this is a kind of behavioral addiction OCD i.e., obsessive compulsion disorder. Also referred to as Social Media Addiction. This disorder affects the life of a person adversely. And inappropriately it is pervasive amongst Generation X or the post-millennials generation.



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Many people start suffering from disorders such as misery and stress, as their life starts to revolve around several likes and comments, social approvable. Their joy and happiness are also dependent on the outside world. The feeling of powerlessness can be extremely draining.

Here are some symptoms or habits of social media addiction which you will commonly see in people who are highly addicted to social media:

1.Unproductive browsing is a sign of social media addiction:

If you check your Instagram, FB, Twitter as soon as you are awake or while crapping or watching tv or even while talking to someone or last thing before you sleep, etc. you seriously need treatment for social media addiction or obsession. Internet is a very useful thing, but overusing it comes with a heavy price.



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2. Checking your phone constantly:

A continuous urge to keep checking your notifications and messages makes you a slave of social media. It gets difficult for you not to check your phone, the helplessness to do so is a sign of social media addiction.

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3. Oversharing their personal life:

Do you post every single detail about your life such as posting about your food, travel, working out, clothes, driving, shopping, who are you hanging out with, selfies of your children and pets, etc.? You need to figure out ways to combat your addiction. Oversharing your personal life also makes you vulnerable to theft or some life-endangering event.



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4. Obsession with popularity:

Who doesn’t like compliments and a bit of attention? But the persistent hunger for acceptance, acknowledgment and recognition can result in stress and despair.



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5. Irritation and impatience if the internet services are not available:

Do you get angry when the internet stops working? People become irritated and anxious if they can’t access their social media accounts. Their dependency on social media has crossed all barriers.



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6. Feeling of Jealousy and competition when looking at others profiles:

People obsessed with social media can easily monitor what’s happening in another person’s life. When they look at people traveling or buying a luxury car, the life of celebrities fills their hearts with unhappiness and completion.



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7. Poor communication with closed ones:

One of the major negative impacts of social media is the lack of communication with the people you love. Any social gathering or get-together or outing with friends you will see people looking at their phone or busy clicking picture all the time instead of interacting and building a bond. They have also formed an online personality, which is hard to evade.



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8. Planning about the posts:

Those who are addicted to posting pictures on Instagram or Facebook keep planning about what they are going to post next. Their mind is occupied thinking about stories or reels they are going to post. They also travel to places just for the sake of sharing their location and posting every bit about it.



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How to know if you are a Social Media addict?

Here are six questions to reckon and for each question reply in yes or no:

Do you feel an urge to check every notification?

Does it make you restless if you are confined from using online platforms?

Do you click pictures to post on social media most of the time?

Has Facebook or Instagram or other social media profiles has over-occupied your mind?

Are you a night owl? Do you sleep late nights most of the time watching OTT platforms, watching videos, posting comments, and remain sleep deprived throughout the day?

If any of your answers are yes, then it implies you are a social media addict and need to do something about it.

 

 

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