Facebook addiction

OK, I admit it. I am truly addicted to Facebook,”. Text messaging is no longer the biggest obsession, Facebook is taking over the world Educated business people to intrigued grandparents has joined the phenomenon, and unsurprisingly many teenagers have also caught Facebook fever.We have a tendency to become obsessive with the Facebook, the trend The question is, have we overdone ? And is there really such thing as Facebook addiction?

FAD, or Facebook Addiction Disorder, is a condition that is defined by hours spent on Facebook, so much time in fact that the healthy balance of the individual’s life is affected. It has been said that approximately 350 million people are suffering from the disorder that is detected through a simple set of six-criteria. People who are victims of the condition must have at least 2-3 of the following criteria during a 6-8 month time period.

1. Tolerance: This term is used to describe the desperate behavior of a Facebook addict.We spend an increasing amount of time on the site, coming to a stage where we need it in order to obtain satisfaction or on the other extreme,
2. Withdrawal symptoms: When we become  restricted from using Facebook , common signsof withdrawal symptoms:  are anxiety, distress and the need to talk about Facebook and what might have been posted on their wall in their absence.
3. Reduction of normal social/recreational activities: FAD will reduce the time spent catching up with friends, playing sport or whatever it is they used to enjoy doing, to simply spend time on Facebook. Instead of catching up with a friend for coffee, we will send a Facebook message
4. Fake friends: If 8 out of 10 people shown on their Facebook page are complete strangers, it is undeniable: they have a serious case of FAD.
5. Complete addiction: When they meet new people, they say their name, followed by “I’ll talk to you on Facebook”, or for those who are extremely bad, “I’ll see you in Facebook”. 

Facebook obsessions are definitely present in today’s society and whether it is a disorder or not, something needs to be done to fix it. Nobody can possibly disagree when the facts speak for themselves and when an individual’s online ‘life’ becomes more important than their real one, we know that there is a serious problem that needs to be addressed.

How can we possibly fix this problem?  That is a question I can’t answer!.

I’m not sure what the experts say about the treatment of such conditions, but I do know one thing; like with all mental disorders, there will be no easy fix. I think that to begin with we all need to take a good look at ourselves and our behavior. If you’re Facebook time is eating into your social time, or your sport time, or your study time, something has gone seriously wrong. You need to go back and readjust, because to keep a healthy balance is the key to a happy, healthy life. It won’t be easy, and it certainly won’t happen overnight, but eventually we are going to be forced to fix this Facebook overload and cure the entire world of FAD. One can only hope.