Social Media Addiction

Social Media Addiction:

Effects on Mental Well-being

By Wesley Poore

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The author is an undergraduate in the School of Communication, University of Nebraska at Omaha. This paper was written for a Social Media Metrics course in Spring, 2013.

Social Media Addiction:

Effects on Mental Well-being

This paper will focus on Internet addiction and the potential psychological issues it can create for college students. The Internet is changing the way we live but not always in a better way. The overuse or abuse of Internet can have negative influences on our lives and lead to maladaptive behaviors (Işıklar, 2011). This is more profound in the adolescent age group of people growing up with the internet (Fisoun, 2012). Students spend a lot of time on social media and the internet every day, especially since affordable smart phones have become available.
While using media technology in moderation may not be a problem, excessive use can cause damage. Students who use internet six hours and more a day have [shown] psychiatric symptoms such as obsessive compulsive, interpersonal sensitivity, depression, anxiety (Işıklar, 2011). Not only has it been shown that addiction creates these problems, but according to Jang (2008) they used the internet when they were stressed, sad or depressed to cope. These are just a few examples of and therefore the purpose of this paper is to explore potential relationships between high social media and internet use and psychological issues that could develop.
Table of Contents
Research Question 1 3-5
Research Question 2 5-7
Methodology 7
Discussion/Future Research 8-10
References 11
Theory and Concepts
- Internet addiction
- Social Media
- Psychological issues
- Mobile internet addiction

RQ1: What is Internet addiction defined as and what are characteristics of it?

Internet Addiction or excessive internet use is characterized by excessive or poorly

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