Lankan Ranger
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Addicted to networking sites?
Can't keep away from social networking sites? Then, it's time you got yourself...
Can you watch television without simultaneously working on a laptop? Can you stand in a queue or watch a movie without checking the messages that your colleagues have put up on a micro-blogging site? If the answer is 'no', then you are not alone.
A US study has found that 200 college students, who were asked to surrender all gadgets that could be used to connect to the Internet and to social networking sites for 24 hours, reported withdrawal symptoms similar to drug and alcohol addiction.
Rajeev P, an avid micro-blogger, whole-heartedly agrees with the findings of the survey. "For my vacation, I went to a hill station for a week. I wasn't able to connect to the Internet there and I felt miserable. Apart from experiencing a sense of discomfort, I felt lonely and secluded."
Marketing executive Natasha too vouches for the fact. She confesses that she can't keep her fingers off her smartphone, no matter what she does or where she is. "Even while watching a film, I constantly keep checking these sites using my phone. I'm so crazy about these sites that I can't live without them."
Though the situation may not be as bad as it is in the US, social media can be addictive, says K Srinivasan, a social media consultant.
But he adds that there is no need for alarm. Says he, "Social media and micro blogging are pretty new concepts for our people. And when there is new technology, it's but natural that people want to spend hours on it, exploring it. And the same is happening with social media now."
However, he feels that we need to learn to contain our excitement and limit the time spent experimenting, so that it doesn't ruin our lives.
Saras Bhaskar, counselling psychologist and a family therapist, says that several people approach her seeking professional help to get rid of their addiction to social media/Internet. She says, "It's quite common among students. Parents bring their wards to me, citing their lack of interest in studies and other extra-curricular activities due to their social media addiction. Also, team leaders refer employees for professional help. It also affects the personal life of the individual as the family too gets affected. And like any other addiction, social media addicts too suffer from withdrawal symptoms."
On ways to treat the problem, she says, "It's easy to ask them to stay away from social media, but getting them to implement the suggestion is difficult. So, we assist them to get the same adrenalin rush by engaging in other activities. We urge them to improve their social interaction, ask them to catch up with their friends and relatives and make them spend time with their family. Developing a hobby or diverting their time and energy towards their interest areas also works."
Addicted to networking sites? - The Times of India
Can't keep away from social networking sites? Then, it's time you got yourself...
Can you watch television without simultaneously working on a laptop? Can you stand in a queue or watch a movie without checking the messages that your colleagues have put up on a micro-blogging site? If the answer is 'no', then you are not alone.
A US study has found that 200 college students, who were asked to surrender all gadgets that could be used to connect to the Internet and to social networking sites for 24 hours, reported withdrawal symptoms similar to drug and alcohol addiction.
Rajeev P, an avid micro-blogger, whole-heartedly agrees with the findings of the survey. "For my vacation, I went to a hill station for a week. I wasn't able to connect to the Internet there and I felt miserable. Apart from experiencing a sense of discomfort, I felt lonely and secluded."
Marketing executive Natasha too vouches for the fact. She confesses that she can't keep her fingers off her smartphone, no matter what she does or where she is. "Even while watching a film, I constantly keep checking these sites using my phone. I'm so crazy about these sites that I can't live without them."
Though the situation may not be as bad as it is in the US, social media can be addictive, says K Srinivasan, a social media consultant.
But he adds that there is no need for alarm. Says he, "Social media and micro blogging are pretty new concepts for our people. And when there is new technology, it's but natural that people want to spend hours on it, exploring it. And the same is happening with social media now."
However, he feels that we need to learn to contain our excitement and limit the time spent experimenting, so that it doesn't ruin our lives.
Saras Bhaskar, counselling psychologist and a family therapist, says that several people approach her seeking professional help to get rid of their addiction to social media/Internet. She says, "It's quite common among students. Parents bring their wards to me, citing their lack of interest in studies and other extra-curricular activities due to their social media addiction. Also, team leaders refer employees for professional help. It also affects the personal life of the individual as the family too gets affected. And like any other addiction, social media addicts too suffer from withdrawal symptoms."
On ways to treat the problem, she says, "It's easy to ask them to stay away from social media, but getting them to implement the suggestion is difficult. So, we assist them to get the same adrenalin rush by engaging in other activities. We urge them to improve their social interaction, ask them to catch up with their friends and relatives and make them spend time with their family. Developing a hobby or diverting their time and energy towards their interest areas also works."
Addicted to networking sites? - The Times of India
