Social Media Addiction Amongst University Students - Research Paper Example

?Social Media Addiction Amongst Introduction The fast-paced life of people today keeps human relationships on a standstill most of the time. The many things that occupy one’s time – family, school, building a career at work, etc., have made rushing from one place to another and always lacking time for everything common features in most people’s lifestyles. However, the human need to be connected to others is always present, and so people have turned to social media to fulfil this need in the midst of their busy schedules, as family and friends have become more accessible and available in just a click of a button. It also offers a myriad of opportunities for meeting more people, relaxing with online games, sharing pictures and videos and an outlet to express innermost thoughts and feelings to share with others. However, the satisfaction that one derives from social media can become addictive. The University of Chicago conducted a study in 2012 and found that social media can be more addictive than cigarettes and alcohol (RTE News, 2013). In London, addiction to social media networks has been turned into an official condition with clinics treating hundreds of social media addicts every year for gaming and internet addictions (RTE News, 2013). This social phenomena needs to be further studied as to its causes and effects on users of social media, especially with young people who are just beginning to build up their social networks in order to meet their social and emotional needs and live fuller lives. This paper intends to do just that, but will give emphasis to the gender and age of users who are more vulnerable to social media addiction. Statement of the Problem The topic for this research paper, social media addiction, has been selected due to its relevance to university students today. As social media proves to be more useful in their lives, mainly in their social lives and studies, university students are increasingly becoming dependent on the social interactions and information they derive from their technological gadgets as they engage in social media. The objectives of this research paper are to understand why more and more people are getting ‘hooked’ or ‘addicted to online social networking sites such as Facebook or Twitter and to find out which gender and age group is more prone to social media addiction. Hence, the research question for this study is, “Which gender and age group is more addicted to social media and why?” Review of Literature Dryer (2010) reported that by March of 2010, there were 200 million blogs worldwide, 450 million Facebook accounts, 27 million tweets every 24 hours from Twitter and 1.2 billion views on You Tube every day. As of 2012, it was reported that almost 75% of teens and young adults are members of at least one social networking site (Thompson & Lougheed, 2012), and with Facebook users, 250 million log into the site daily (Facebook, 2011). Such astounding statistics show explosive social media has grown over a short period of time and is expected to relentlessly grow more in the future. Dryer (2010) notes: Social media, i.e., blogs, wikis, social networking sites like Facebook and LinkedIn, multimedia sharing sites like YouTube and Flickr, and social tagging sites like Digg and Yelp, represents a revolutionary shift in the way we communicate. Social media has democratized information and empowered ordinary citizens with the ability to organize, share information, and be heard like never before in our history. Social media is word of mouth on steroids and is beginning to morph from a fun and easy way to stay socially connected with friends into a dynamic and interactive way of doing business (p. 16). Berinstein (2011) contends that the obsession with social media is linked to people’s desperate need to feel good. She concludes that “social media has offered us a new way to anesthetize a deep-rooted feeling of lack: the more likes we get, the better we feel” (Bernstein, 2011, para. 1). What is addictive is actually the positive reinforcement one gets from people they encounter in those sites that build up their self-esteem such as “likes”, comments or “re-tweets” on their posts. The fulfilment one gets from winning or moving up to the next level in games also contributes to ones addiction to social media. Porterfield (2010) reports the results of a study done by Retrevo Gadgetology on 1,000 users of social media sites like Twitter and Facebook and found that the “under 25” age group and majority of females use the sites more than the older groups and the male users. Other statistics gathered from the study are as follows: 56%: Social media users check Facebook at least once a day. 12%: Social media users check Facebook every couple of hours. 40%:  Respondents who said they didn’t mind being interrupted for a message. 32%:  Respondents who said using the sites was not off limits while eating a meal. 7%: Respondents who said they’d check out a message during an intimate moment (Porterfield, 2010). Another study by Chitika, an online advertising network also conducted a study on what social media users search for in four networking sites namely Facebook, Twitter, Digg and MySpace and compared the type of information they consume on each site (Porterfield, 2010). It was concluded that Facebook and Twitter users search for news while Digg users have more varied interests and MySpace users seek news about celebrities and video games (Porterfield, 2010). Figure 1: Breakdown of Various Social Site’s Genre Popularity Social Media Addiction The integration of social media in people’s lives has made connection with family and friends around the world much easier as there is instant access to information, photos, videos and other updates. Thus, engagement in social media may be done multiple times during the day and eventually making people dependent on it for communication, information and even affirmation from others (Addiction Treatment, 2012). Its convenience has made communication through social media sites much easier than face-to-face or telephone communication because everything is done with just the click of some keys and messages are conveyed. Research also indicates that younger members of society and women in general engage in more prolonged use of social media. A strong feeling to be connected with others and a constant sense of needing to belong are easily met by social media. The immediacy of connection to anyone in the world as well as easy access to information can deliver overwhelming positive emotions which are difficult to avoid. Especially with the inclusion of hand held devices and mobile phones, ease of availability of such stimulation has increased making addiction to social media easier to fall into (Addiction Treatment, 2012). To determine if one has developed an addiction for social media, the following symptoms may be observed: 1. Anxiety when there is no access to social media outlets 2. Inability to step away from social media for a set period of time (usually at least twenty four hours) 3. Social media engagement is continued despite some negative impact it has caused in the individual’s life. Examples are choosing time online over actual face-to-face interactions with immediate family and friends or work and other duties may be neglected due to too much time spent online. (Addiction Treatment, 2012) A study on social media addiction was conducted at the University of Maryland in 2010 asking university students to abstain from social media for 24 hours. Self-confessed social media addicts revealed that it was to them a traumatic experience describing it as follows: "In withdrawal. Frantically craving. Very anxious. Extremely antsy. Miserable. Jittery. Crazy." (Johnson 2010 para. 3). It was concluded that American college students struggle to function normally if their media connection is cut off. They felt cut off from the rest of humanity and lived in isolation without social media. The 18-21 year olds’ friendships and relationships were increasingly dependent on technology (Johnson, 2010). Demographic Findings from Studies Kalpidou et al. (2011) surveyed college freshmen in terms of self-esteem issues and Facebook use. They found that for these young students reported stronger emotional connection to Facebook then their upper class men. They believed that having more Facebook friends was beneficial for them as they build their network which will very useful for them in the future. These social contacts can provide information about social events and other relevant information. This belief did not hold true for their upper class men (Kalpidou et al., 2011). In terms of gender, Kalpidou et al. (2011) found that females had more susceptibility to be addicted to social media as they experience more anxiety when they do not have easy access to it. They also feel more stressed when communicating with others through social media since they have been trained to read non-verbal cues more than men and these are not easily accessible online except through video chats. Women were also reported to spend more time on social networking sites such as Facebook than their male counterparts (Kalpidou et al., 2011). Methods This study takes on a more qualitative approach in gathering data. According to Strauss and Corbin (1990), qualitative research involves methods producing findings without the manipulation of numbers, statistical procedures or any kind of quantification. Qualitative researchers are open to a wide variety of perspectives and methods that do not reduce interpretations of findings to a norm (Glesne, 1999). Qualitative methods are used to explore and investigate any phenomenon that are yet unexplained and to gain new insights on those which much is already known. More in-depth information may be difficult to interpret quantitatively since it may be inadequate to describe the situation, and so, qualitative researchers interpret them in a more qualitative manner (Straus and Corbin, 1990). Survey questionnaires were distributed among university students in Sydney regarding social media usage. Questionnaires are known to be very versatile in data-gathering and very efficient in terms of the use of both the researcher’s and the respondents’ time (Campbell et al., 2004; Cohen et al. 2000) They collect a significant amount of information in one attempt, rather than conducting interviews over a period of weeks. Questionnaires may be completed within the time that is suitable to the respondents and does not require the researcher and respondent to match free periods of time to conduct the research. Questionnaires can also ensure the participants’ anonymity, if necessary. If the respondents cannot be identified, they may be more willing to write about issues and opinions more openly than they would in a face-to-face situation (Cohen et al., 2000; Gillham , 2000). From the literature, much information has already been gained regarding social media addiction and this serves as the secondary source of data to support primary data derived from a survey that has been conducted with students of a university in Sydney. 10 males and 10 females aged 17-30 years were asked to complete a survey and their answers shall be represented in demographic graphs. The following questions are included in the survey questionnaire: 1. Please state your gender 2. Please state your Age 3. What is your study commitment? 4. What type of Social Media site do you use? 5. How much time do you spend on social media sites daily 6. How often do you check your social media site hourly 7. How many friends do you have on your social media sites 8. How often do your friends comment on your social media page 9. Do you feel disconnected or stressed when you cannot access social media sites 10. Do you feel your social media a site has impacted on your family or work commitments 11. How often do you deactivate your social media account because you feel it’s slowing down your output at school or work? 12. How do you use your social media site? Select all answers that apply? Findings The following graphs represent the demographic use of social media: From this graph, it is shown that the age group of 17-21 years used social media more frequently than their older counterparts. This graph shows that overall, the participants used Facebook more than the social networking sites Twitter or MySpace. The students mostly used Facebook as their social networking site and admitted that they spent a total of between 3 hours to 8 hours online, mostly with Facebook on the whole time while they browse the web and do other things on their computers or other gadgets. Overall, the students check their media site at least twice the whole time they are online with female students checking as often as once every 30 minutes. When they see likes or comments on their posts, they spend more time on the site. When they chat with friends online, they spend even more time, sometimes, without intending to go beyond their allotted time online. The students had Facebook friends numbering from 126 to 1678 between them. Activity on their Facebook account is highest with the 17-21 year old group as they admitted on their preference for liking and commenting on the photos and status messages of their peers every time they post. When they are disconnected from social media like when they do not have internet connection, the students felt anxious and eager to find another connection elsewhere. One student said they lost power once and did not have an internet connection for a week and he felt that he was “out of the loop” and estranged when he came back online. Missing the action in the site made them feel isolated and out of place. Some of the girls said they felt jealous to see some of their friends getting closer without them especially when they talked of things they were not aware of because they were offline. Once they gained back access, they immediately logged on to see what they have missed. Most of the students admitted that their engagement in social media has been positive experiences for them because aside from gaining and nurturing friendships they were able to derive important information about their schoolwork. They get to know of recommended sites for further study and discuss projects with their peers online. However, it has also brought them negative outcomes such as not having enough sleep due to prolonged interactions with their friends online, and neglect of some of their chores at home and some duties required of them as students. Spending time on social media seems to make them forget about their real-life responsibilities. Still, most of the students said they try their best to balance their work with their social engagements online. Only one of the students admitted that she had to deactivate her social media account because it was slowing down her pace in doing her school work. She said right after her final exams, her reward was to reactivate it and catch up on what she has missed. Summing up all the responses in the questionnaire, the students reported that they use their social media sites primarily to be connected to their family and friends and be updated with their lives through viewing their uploaded photos, status messages and online chats. It also gives them opportunities to make new friends or rekindle old friendships. Some students admitted to using social media to find romantic partners. With regards to schoolwork, social media was adjudged as an important tool to exchange information, discuss projects, and even review for exams together online. Online chats are mixed with social and work-related topics. Sometimes, group chats are also engaged in, but they admit that it is not used as often as one-on-one chats. Sometimes, video-chat is used when they need to show something to their friends. Most of the students also reported that they get addicted to the games they play in social media especially in Facebook where they can play with other friends online. It provides them relaxation and fun especially when they unwind after a long day. Discussion Conducting the study provided the researcher more in-depth information about how students use social media and the context of how it can lead to addiction. Since the students live in the internet age, it is no wonder that they maximize the technology to benefit them socially, emotionally and also intellectually. Since social media seems to meet most of their needs, they see it as a positive factor that helps them throughout their day. The finding that younger students engage more in social media may not be too relevant since the responses in the survey questionnaire were consistent for all age groups. The factor of gender was not discussed much, but it was evident that the women did engage more social media time than the men. They also got more emotionally affected with the goings-on online such as when they get disconnected online or when they come back online, their emotions are greater and more intense than the men. Social media was found to bring about more positive outcomes to the students than negative ones. Hence, they are justified in spending much time online because they feel they benefit much from it. They are aware, though, that they can easily get carried away in their engagement with social media that they allow much time to pass and neglect some essential things they need to do offline. For them, being addicted to social media is a common thing amongst the users, but knowing how to balance it with their real life activities should be achieved. Conclusion Going back to the research question, “Which gender and age group is more addicted to social media and why?”, this research echoes results of past studies that women and younger university students in the age group of 17-21 years are more prone to social media addiction due to the more prolonged time they spend online. Young ladies derive much satisfaction and a boost in their self-esteem when friends like or comment on their posts, especially their photos. They also invest more emotions on their responses to friends’ posts, and are more emotionally distraught when they get disconnected from social media. The roller coaster of emotions they get from such social media sites make it more addictive to them as they continuously search for “highs” beyond the “lows” in emotions. In terms of age, younger people have a stronger need to establish human connections with their peers, so they use social media as an avenue to establish and nurture these relationships. Addiction to social media is more common than people think, and surprisingly, more acceptable by society. Living in the age of information and technology is bound to develop such addiction since being socially and intellectually stimulated is a natural preference of people. What needs to be developed to a greater degree is the awareness and self-control necessary in balancing time and effort to enjoy social media as well as live more fulfilled lives in the “real world” with one’s family and friends. A person may use Facebook or any social networking site as a tool to connect to other people but merely relying on such technology and not making an effort to connect in real life may leave gaps in the relationship that need to be filled. There is still nothing that beats being together emotionally, intellectually and physically. References Addiction Treatment (2012) Social media addiction, Retrieved on May 4, 2013 from http://www.addictiontreatmentmagazine.com/trends/social-media-addiction/ Bernstein, G. (2011) Are you addicted to social media? Retrieved on May 5, 2013 from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/gabrielle-bernstein/internet- addiction_b_1127242.html Campbell, A., McNamara, O., & Gilroy, P. (2004). Practitioner research and professional development in education. London: Paul Chapman. Cohen, L., Manion, L., & Morrison, K. (2000). Research methods in education (5th ed.). London: Routledge Falmer. Dryer , R.L. (2010) Advising Your Clients (and You!) in the New World of Social Media: What Every Lawyer Should Know About Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, & Wikis Utah Bar Journal, 23(3) Facebook. (2011). Facebook statistics. Retrieved on May 3, 2012 from http://www.facebook.com/press/info.php?statistics Gillham, B. (2000). 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