Uncle Ben once told Peter Parker “With great power comes great responsibility,”. This is also very applicable to social media. Networking sites like Facebook and Twitter have revolutionized the way we communicate and they offer tremendous personal branding, marketing, and selling opportunities. However too much of anything can be a bad thing and people who get addicted to social media will find their potential limited and their growth stunted. Here are 5 signs of social media addiction that we all have to watch out for.
Facebook and Twitter can be so engaging and entertaining because the content that it gives is personal, relevant, and customized to your taste. That’s why a lot of people find it really hard to get up from their seats and away from their laptops when they’re on social networks. Other than going through the pictures and status updates of your friends, you can also get hooked on the various applications offered by Facebook like quizzes, games, and the annoying pillow fights. The seconds turn to minutes… and then hours… and then the day is over. Yikes.
The moment that you often indulge yourself online by putting off work just to surf your network is nothing short of irresponsible. Always remember that if you get addicted to anything that will lessen your productivity and output you are limiting your potential for growth and success.
I’ve heard this story tons of times! There are people who seem to forget that not everyone is perpetually online on Facebook. Instead of writing an e-mail, sending an SMS, or giving a call, some actually just send messages on Facebook even if what they have to say is urgent or important. Come on guys. It doesn’t take too many muscles or energy to open another tab to open GMAIL and to send an e-mail. It also won’t take too much effort to grab your mobile phone and send an SMS.
Social media can obviously suck your time but it can also act as a blackhole for your wallet. With the influx of various entertaining games on Facebook, it’s not hard to imagine people whipping out their credit cards so that they can get an advantage over their friends on Farmville or Mafia Wars. These games are already making tons of money from advertising. Don’t bother giving up your hard earned dollars for a new plant or tractor. It won’t really have any impact on your life other than wasting cash on things that you don’t really need.
I mean it would be a different conversation if there was like a Global Farmville Championship which could let you win a million bucks but right now it’s just a social casual game that doesn’t merit spending.
If you stay in front of a laptop too long and you chat with everyone online then there’s a big probability that your social skills in the real world might be crappy. Get out of your “cyber shell”! Meet new friends, play sports, do whatever. Don’t just get stuck in front of the laptop constantly hitting F5 to refresh so that you can see if there are any new tweets or updates. That’s just sad. If you’re doing that then please just go to bed or read a book.
By the way, since we’re on the topic let me just say this: it doesn’t mean that if you research and find out about a certain topic online it automatically makes you an expert. One thing I hate are know-it-alls who are really just posers. Nothing beats experience so go out to the world and live!
Like what I said earlier, gaming can be a very addictive thing for anyone and I’m not just talking about MMORPG’s or complicated titles. Simple social web games like Farmville can be bad for you if it takes up so much of your time and effort. How many friends do you have that take out their laptops in the middle of conversations just to harvest plants or to check their energy points?
Ultimately social media can be a powerful tool that can bring your career and life forward. However it is also a double edged sword which can hurt you as well. Don’t get too addicted to it because it will suck up so much of your time that you won’t notice the days, weeks, and months go by. You have to be very deliberate with the use of social networks otherwise it will limit your potential.
Photo used from Mashable
