Let's think about this. Addictions help fill a need, or calm an anxiety. Addictions even sometimes become a way to avoid immediate problems. When using social media becomes an addiction, surfing the web releases tension and feels good and causes a person to grow physically dependent on getting a daily "fix" in order to continue through daily life. Just like a substance addiction, social media addictions progress and we can find ourselves using it more and more.
Are You Addicted to Social Media?
- Social media addicts spend every waking moment checking for updates, chatting online, posting updates, and checking the latest postings of others.
- Social media addicts spend 2 or more hours at a time on social media websites.
- Social media addicts eventually progress to cancelling more and more activities with family and friends to spend time on their internet capable devices.
- Social media addicts carry their internet capable devices with them everywhere they go.
- Social media addicts feel anxious or ill when they cannot get on the internet or if a favorite social media website is down.
- Social media addicts feel the need to post continuous statuses and pictures of everything that they do and have for others to see.
- Social media addicts browse and "snoop" on pages of those that are not their "friends" or "followers"
When spending so much time on the internet, be careful what you post and engage in on your social media sites. Even though you may be just "typing words," remember that God sees and knows all, and you will have to answer to Him (Matthew 12:36). Because becoming a member of facebook, twitter, and other social sites are completely legal, there is no medicinal treatment for "social media addiction". You have to make up your mind, then wean yourself away. I am not saying that social media is bad, I am asking that you take a minute to evaluate yourself. Any thing, activity, or person that takes you away from spending time with God must be removed from your life. If you find yourself social networking more than you pray and read your bible, you must make a change to your daily schedule. Growing physically dependent on anything to make you happy is dangerous because when that thing is gone, so is your happiness. The joy of the Lord is your strength (Nehemiah 8:10) and in Him you will find your true happiness - with or without the internet.