An addiction is when compulsive behaviour leads to negative effects. Social media can be very addicting. Many studies show that 63 percent of Americans log onto Facebook daily with a percentage of 40 that log on more than once a day. The current generation of teens is exposed to many social media platforms like Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Snapchat, and many more. Boyd compares the word addiction, how it is commonly used for substance abuse and compulsive behaviour, and the positive meanings of the word to describe the effects of how youth interact with social media. In past generations with no social media, bad substances may have caused many addictions compared to the current one. Social media is seen as an addiction because it can interfere with important activities in life that include work and school. Parents are the ones mostly concerned, considering how much it may interfere with and how it may control their children’s lives. They try to keep their children away from social media in any way possible. Boyd states, “When teens engage with networked media, they’re trying to take control of their lives and their relationship to society. In doing so, they begin to understand how people relate to one another and how information flows between people. Although it may be addicting, social media sites offer a way to stay connected and catch up with what other people are doing in their lives as well as the general community. Being able to give out content about their own life and being able to check up on others on social media can keep the interaction with everyone in real life. Instead of having social media dictate lifestyles, use it to help reach goals and connect to others.
