An addiction to social media might not be something you’re ready to admit, but it’s estimated that 54% of social media users feel some level of addiction to their social network of choice. Research shows that 46% of users visit their favorite social network several times a day or even constantly. You might argue that your constant social media log-in’s are out of boredom or curiosity. Whether that’s the truth, or you’re checking to see how many likes and comments you got on your latest post, constantly checking your social media may mean that you have an addiction.
Here are seven signs your addiction to social media has taken over your life:
1. You Check Your Phone First Thing In The Morning
You’re barely awake, still huddled under the covers, but your eyes have opened. The first thing you do, before even getting out of bed, is reach for your phone. If you check your phone first thing in the morning, before your feet even hit the ground, you may have a very real addiction to social media.
2. You Re-Read And Double Check Social Media
You know those teachers who always told you to double check your work? Did you ever really listen to their advice? Probably not. But for some reason, you find yourself re-reading Facebook posts and double checking your tweets and Instagram captions on a regular basis. Are your social media pages really that important that you put more time and effort into your posts than you did with your school work?
3. You Take Your Phone To The Bathroom
If you have a habit of sitting on the toilet and scrolling through your social media feed, it’s a pretty clear sign that you can’t go anywhere or do anything without your phone. If you have a strict “no cell phone” policy at work, you might bring your phone to the bathroom to check your messages a few times a day. But if you find yourself taking your phone to the bathroom with you when you’re at home… you have a problem.
4. You Get Upset When You Don’t Get The Response You Were Hoping For
Do you find yourself in a bad mood when you don’t get the amount of likes you were hoping for, or you post a status asking “Who wants to hang out?” and no one responds? If your mood depends on the activity on your social media page, that’s a pretty good indication that it’s taken over your life completely.
5. You Lose Track Of Time Browsing Through Social Media
This can happen to all of us, but if it’s a regular occurrence, there’s a good chance you have an addiction to social media. You might log on to check the time of a party you were invited to, but 45 minutes later you’re still logged in, watching cat videos and scrolling through photos of someone you don’t even know.
6. You Schedule Your Posts
Businesses and bloggers often schedule their posts for a certain time in order to maximize their traffic. According to social media trends, you can get more likes and more comments by posting at certain times on certain days. If you are neither a business or a blogger, yet you’re scheduling your posts, your addiction might be ruling your life.
7. You Question Your Posts When They Don’t Attract Attention
You post a political statement on your Facebook page, but you don’t get any “I agree!” comments. You post a selfie on your Instagram page, but you only get a handful of likes. So you start to question your posts, re-reading your statuses and looking more closely at your pictures to figure out what happened. If your self-worth and self-esteem is defined by the number of likes and comments you get on social media, your addiction has absolutely overtaken your life.
Sources:
Collective Evolution
Webroot
Huffington Post
CBS News
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