Social networks: going without can cause withdrawal symptoms
Social networks are already so important to their users that doing without them can cause addiction-like withdrawal symptoms. This is according to US researchers from the University of Maryland.
For the "24 Hours:Unplugged" campaign, 200 students went completely without any kind of digital media for a day and then blogged about their experiences.
"We were surprised by how many admitted that they are incredibly dependent on media. For many, giving it up is not a question of wanting to, but of being able to", study director Susan D. Moeller is quoted as saying in the press release. There was often a desperate desire to get back online, with many reporting restlessness, extreme nervousness, tension and craziness, which are similar signs to those experienced by alcohol and drug addicts. The very detailed feedback showed that giving up social networks and text messages was particularly difficult. According to the study, 18- to 21-year-old students now use Facebook all the time, with phone calls and e-mail being by far the second most important ways of keeping in touch with friends and staying informed. Moeller goes so far as to equate life without social media in today's world with "life without friends and family".
Similar Swiss study
In a similar Swiss study, "Facebook junkies" recently gave up their habit for a whole month - for a reward of 300 francs. Study leader Dominik Orth blocked the test subjects' Facebook passwords in front of their eyes. "The beginning of giving up is particularly emotionally charged. Some said they felt as if their mother had died, as if the keys to their home were being taken away or as if their personal luggage was being inspected at the airport," reports the psychologist at the Rod agency in an interview with Pressetext.
Even though other media were allowed in the Swiss trial, the test subjects felt cut off from the world and socially excluded, especially from those who were still logged in. "However, most of them also reported benefits during the course of the study. The self-image became more important than the external image, they felt calmer in everyday life and made use of the time they had gained," says Orth. After the month, most of them stated that they would now use Facebook more efficiently and log in "less decadently frequently". However, none of them wanted to do without Facebook completely in future.
"We were surprised by how many admitted that they are incredibly dependent on media. For many, giving it up is not a question of wanting to, but of being able to", study director Susan D. Moeller is quoted as saying in the press release. There was often a desperate desire to get back online, with many reporting restlessness, extreme nervousness, tension and craziness, which are similar signs to those experienced by alcohol and drug addicts. The very detailed feedback showed that giving up social networks and text messages was particularly difficult. According to the study, 18- to 21-year-old students now use Facebook all the time, with phone calls and e-mail being by far the second most important ways of keeping in touch with friends and staying informed. Moeller goes so far as to equate life without social media in today's world with "life without friends and family".
Similar Swiss study
In a similar Swiss study, "Facebook junkies" recently gave up their habit for a whole month - for a reward of 300 francs. Study leader Dominik Orth blocked the test subjects' Facebook passwords in front of their eyes. "The beginning of giving up is particularly emotionally charged. Some said they felt as if their mother had died, as if the keys to their home were being taken away or as if their personal luggage was being inspected at the airport," reports the psychologist at the Rod agency in an interview with Pressetext.
Even though other media were allowed in the Swiss trial, the test subjects felt cut off from the world and socially excluded, especially from those who were still logged in. "However, most of them also reported benefits during the course of the study. The self-image became more important than the external image, they felt calmer in everyday life and made use of the time they had gained," says Orth. After the month, most of them stated that they would now use Facebook more efficiently and log in "less decadently frequently". However, none of them wanted to do without Facebook completely in future.
