SOCIAL MEDIA ADDICTION & FATIGUE

Presented by: Louisa Liedtke Gillian MacInerney Jenna Simard

April 26, 2013

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Internet and social media addiction are two new rising terms in the medical and psychological world, with very little knowledge and research available about them. This is because the Internet, and more specifically social media, have only been around for a very limited amount of time, yet the amount of time we use them today is insurmountable; it is unfathomable to a lot of people to live without them in both our business and personal lives. The people most affected and seemingly most drawn to using the Internet excessively and spending most of their time on social media sitesincluding Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Linkedin, and Google+are millennials. Millennials are defined as individuals between the ages of 18 and 29 years old. They are most familiar with the uses of these technologies, as they have been raised using it on an almost daily basis. The following study explores the influences of Internet use and the possible addictions among millennials to both the Internet and social media using a convenient sample survey and a mixed-method qualitative observation study. The group sampled came from a large southern Christian university, with a relatively small and predominantly female sample, most of whom shared very similar declared majors. The results showed that many respondents were affected both psychologically and physically from the abstention and usage of social media. Some reported feelings of stress and isolation from abstaining from social media, while others reported feelings of anxiety and jealousy upon using it too frequently. Conversely, many respondents reported feeling refreshed and relieved through not using social media. Furthermore, a vast majority of respondents felt that social media inhibited their productivity with work and their classes. These respondents often stated that by not using social media, they were able to accomplish more both academically and socially.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Executive Summary..2 Literature Review.....4 Research Questions..11 Methodology.....12 Design....12 Sample....13 Results and Data Analysis...14 Limitations and Future Research...24 Conclusions and Recommendations...25 References.....27 Appendices........30 Ethnography Procedure..30 Interview Questionnaire.31 Word Association...32 Informed Consent forms33

LITERATURE REVIEW
Introduction: The role of social media Social networking sites, also known as SNS, are predominantly used for social purposes (Kuss & Griffiths, 2011). Almost all Internet users say that one of their primary purposes for going online is for communication. Today, people use it to socialize with people they know and to expand their circle of friends. Social media provides a platform for users to connect and interact with one another and mutual friends (Correa, Hinsley and Zuniga, 2010). In a survey conducted by the Pew Research Center, 67% of all Internet users network on social media sites (Duggan & Brenner, 2013). Facebook is the most popular site on the Internet. Over 800 million people use Facebook and 225 million use Twitter. People spend 700 billion minutes each month using Facebook and, to date, have uploaded more than 100 billion photos to the site (Dill, 2013). How millennials use social media Comprising nearly 25% of the total U.S. population, millennials have become the largest generation in U.S. history. More than other generations, millennials rely on using the Internet and mobile technology on a daily basis (Grabowski). Millennials compose the population most likely to use social networking sites (Correa, Hinsley and Zuniga, 2010). According to an article in the Diplomatic Courier, 75% of millennials (people aged 18-29) use social networking platforms. The percentage is likely due to Generation Ys expressive nature and members willingness to expressive themselves publicly, through social media (Kraus, 2012). The Pew Research Center reports that 67% of the population use social networking sites. Of that percentage, adults aged 18-29 compose the majority of users on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Tumblr. Users on Pinterest are mostly under the age of 50 (Duggan & Brenner, 2013). 4

Millennials enjoy using social media during their leisure time. According to Mintel, millennials are 14 percentage points more likely to spend leisure time on social media than other generations and 14 percentage points more likely to say they would rather spend time online than offline. Survey respondents between the ages of 18 and 24 spend approximately 10 hours a week online, whereas other respondents spend 8.5 hours online (Grabowski). In a 2012 report, Mintel reported that half of all adults aged 18-34 enjoy posting photos and multimedia content to social networks, not just those who are active users. Millennials were twice as likely as seniors to use Facebook daily. In 2012, about one in five millennials used Twitter on a daily basis. The youngest millennials, age 18-24, were even more likely to use social media. About three in four 18-24 year olds checked in to social networks daily. Nine in ten of them used Facebook, while one in three used blogs and photo or video sharing sites. Millennials were also more likely to have more friends on their social media sites than older users. In a survey of 2,000 users aged 18+, respondents 18-24 reported a mean of 306 friends on their main network and respondents aged 25-24 reported a mean of 211 (Hulkower, 2012). In February 2013, The Pew Research Center also published a report on the demographics of social media usage. Pew reports that 83% of Internet users aged 18-29 use social media. Of Internet users age 18-29, 86% use Facebook, 28% use Instagram, 27% use Twitter, 19% use Pinterest and 13% use Tumblr (Duggan & Brenner, 2013). Social media impacts the way that college studentsthe younger half of the millennial populationengage in educational activities. Thompson and Lougheed (2012) report that college students spend approximately two hours a day on their social network sites. One-third of all college students use social networking to execute class assignments. According to Mintel, millennials are finding new ways to become social students (Grabowski).

The controversy about social media addiction The term social media addiction is relatively new. There is a scarce amount of research on social media as an addiction. Thus, scholars differ in opinion as to whether or not people can become addicted to social media. Addiction is a compulsion, which causes severe trauma to a persons life. Some scholars say that overuse of social media does not define an addiction. People may be nonchalantly using the term because it is a popular topic. Today, social media has become the predominant form of communication among younger generations; it may simply be replacing other forms of communication. In a 2011 article from South University, psychologist Mark Fabbri says that interaction on social networking sites is not a negative thing (Donley, 2011). On the other hand, a 2012 study at the University of Chicago concluded that social media may be more addictive than cigarettes and alcohol. The study suggests that desires to use social media may be harder to resist because social media is highly available and engagement does not seem harmful (Flacy, 2012). The study found that receiving a notification, such as when someone retweets his or her messages on Twitter, induces a burst of dopamine. Conversely, a lack of interaction or endorsement causes anxiety and jealousy (Bennett, 2013). Researches that do believe in the growing risk of social media addiction say the chemical dopamine is to blame. Psychologist Susan Weinschenk describes that is causes us to want, desire, seek out and search for new information, and that it fuels our curiosity for new information, and if our seeking is not turned off for at least a little while, or brain and the release of dopamine will run on an endless loop. Facebook and other SNS sites give an instant gratification to this need for new information, and the constant availability of new information through these platforms offers the constant reward of dopamine flooding the brain, giving it an addictive quality (Charman-

Anderson, 2009). Studies show that adolescents are particularly vulnerable to becoming addicted to social networking. Addiction tendencies in young adults are more likely to fall upon those with narcissistic tendencies, high extraversion, and low conscientiousness. Those searching for a sense of self-identity and belongingness through social media are also at a higher risk of addiction. Feedback from SNS peers can also have a high impact on addiction vulnerability, as those with negative feedback on their SNS pages tend to have low self-esteem, which sends the users seeking self-affirmation through their social media site of choice. Studies have also reported that students who use Facebook and those who use the Internet as a study tool tend to have lower grades and study less than those who dont (Griffiths & Kuss, 2011). Social media addiction is now a recognized term in the United Kingdom. According to Reuters, psychiatrists say that looking at Facebook or Twitter more than 10 times a day may be a sign of addiction. If usage exceeds five hours a day, signs are especially alarming. Psychiatrists in London treat 100 social media addicts a year who have neglected even basic self-care because of their social media habits (Bennett, 2013). A Mashable infographic states that, in 2013, the United States will recognize Internet Addiction Disorder as a real disorder in the DSM-V (Franceschi-Bicchierai, 2012). At the University of Milan and the Massachusetts Institution of Technology have both identified chemical reasons for the pervasive need to check social networking sites, including Facebook. While on Facebook, people exhibit physical and psychophysiological responses, similar to that of playing an instrument or performing some other sort of creative activity. This psychophysiological state is characterized by high positive valence and high arousal. People use social networking sites, such as Facebook, to receive this satisfaction, and is what drives them to return again and again (Horn, 2012). According to an article in the Washington Post, anxiety drives some social media users

to want to give up the habit, but they delay deleting their accounts because they are afraid of missing out on something. The article states that some users try to leave their social media accounts, bu anxiety leads many quitters to return to social media within 24 hours. Larry Rosen, author of iDisorder, believes that excessive social media usage is not an addiction, but rather an obsession because people use social media to reduce anxiety, not to gain pleasure (Boyle, 2012). Researchers in the United Kingdom have also linked depression to the growing addiction to the Internet and the vastly growing number of social media sites, stating that 1.2% of people surveyed who were categorized as being addicted to the Internet were also characterized as being depressed (McNamara, 2010). In extreme cases, this depression can lead to suicide amongst users, especially through the numerous reported cases of cyberbullying and cyber harassment, most commonly found on social networking sites. 20.8-40.6% of social networking users reported being the victims of some sort of cyberbullying during their time online, and 59% of users between the ages of 14 and 24 reported coming into contact with some sort of suiciderelated content on the Internet (Fairall and Luxton, 2012). The growth of social media fatigue While there are those who are becoming more and more addicted to social media venues as time goes on, there are also those who are tiring of the sites and are choosing to log offboth temporarily and for good. A large cause for this abandonment of sites, especially Facebook, is because of the human mind. The human brain supposedly has a physical limit as to how many friends it can keep track of: 150 friends. More than this can make people feel overwhelmed, especially those who have anywhere between 500 and 1000 online friends, and can cause Facebook to lose its allure to them (Kirkham, 2010). Many consumers have voiced their exhaustion and frustration with social media sites. One fourth of technology consumers believe

their lives would be better without the creation of the social network, with a particularly large surge in the category of Facebook (Clark, 2012). Many Facebook users say theyve had enough of the constant presence of Facebook in their lives, and on average cut down 30 minutes a day from their Facebook time (Berconci, 2013). People cite various reasons for choosing to take brief breaks or Facebook vacations. The most common include too busy/no time (21%), loss of interest/no time (10%), waste of time/didnt like it (10%), too much gossip/drama/negative content/conflict (9%), spend too much time on the site (8%), intermittent/infrequent user (8%), bored/tired of it (7%), privacy/security concerns (4%), and claims that Facebook isnt real life/ prefer other communication methods (2%) (Hill, 2013). More and more users are taking breaks from Facebook and other social media sites. A writer Ebony Magazine, Stacy Charles, was challenged by her workplace to take a social media fast. Like many that do choose to take a break from social media, while at first she admitted to relapses and difficulty remembering that she was not to use the sites, overall her experience was successful and enjoyable, and she has forgotten about some of her sites upon reactivation and has no intentions of returning to them (Charles, 2011). The creators of social media sites are becoming more aware of users beginning to pull away, and are making it more and more difficult to sever the cyber ties to your accounts. Facebook in particular has made it increasingly difficult to permanently delete your account, asking you to confirm your deletion of your account several times. It has also banned all suicide programs that permanently delete your profile and password so that you may never reactivate your account, forever giving you the option to return to your online social network. (Kirkham, 2010). A new invention, Facebook Home, also attempts to hone in its current users and get them to allow Facebook to run its cellular device life. Home is a suite of apps that, essentially, allow

Facebook to mediate almost everything on ones mobile device. This is currently only available to Android users, but is sure to be available to all of the cellular population within a matter of time (Berconci, 2013).

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RESEARCH QUESTIONS
To build upon prior research, this study serves to observe a sample of the millennial population in the attempt to understand how millennials use social media in a social and cultural context, and how does this ritualistic phenomenon impacts users. The following questions are addressed in the research:

1. What roles do informants feel social media plays in their lives? 2. What social and cultural meanings do social media have for participants? 3. Do informants feel social media helps or hinders productivity in day-to-day life? 4. Do participants feel an emotional, psychological or physical effect from use of or abstention from using social media?

The following methods were used to gain further insight into these inquiries among the sample.

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METHODOLOGY
Design: Part 1 This research was conducted using a mixed-methods qualitative study design with student participants from a major university in the Southwestern region of the United States. First, participants were asked to complete a 100-item online questionnaire developed using Qualtrics web-based software. Following completion of the questionnaire, participants were then asked to abstain from all social media use for any two consecutive days they chose from the next seven days. At the end of their abstention, participants were prompted to explain their experience via ten open-ended questions. In addition to data regarding social media addiction and abstention, the researchers collected demographic and psychographic data from all participants. Data was collected over a one-month period between November 15th and December 15th, 2012. Design: Part 2 This research was conducted using participant observation, unstructured interviews, and word association projective techniques during a two-week period between April 12th and April 26th, 2013. First, the three selected participants were shadowed for a full day and their social media activities were documented. This included what social media sites they used, which they favored, how often they checked their social media sites, how long they were on them, and how they used these sites. Second, they were asked to answer 10 questions from an unstructured survey, asking them to self-analyze their social media usage and how they feel it impacts their lives. Third, they were given a string of social media-related words and asked to respond with one word that they most closely associated with the subject (word association). Sample: Part 1 Study participants were undergraduate students who were enrolled in a variety of courses at a 12

major university in the Southwestern region of the United States, including digital media, advertising, public relations and communication sciences. Students were informed that participation in the study was completely voluntary and were offered extra credit for completing the survey. In total, the survey was distributed to 200 undergraduate students. Of those 200 students, 142 completed the survey for a 71% response rate. 142 respondents completed the survey instrument and the abstention exercise, 38.7% males and 61.3% females.[i] The respondents ages ranged from 18-33, with 99.3% of respondents indicating they were between the ages of 18-25. Of the 142 respondents, 50 were selected for study of their responses. Sample: Part 2 Study participants were undergraduate students enrolled in the same university as those above. Participant 1 was a 20-year old female student enrolled in writing and English courses. Participant 2 was a 21-year old female student enrolled in communication studies and business courses. Participant 3 was a 21-year old female student enrolled communication studies courses.

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RESULTS AND DATA ANALYSIS

What role do informants feel social media plays in their lives? The results from the survey and ethnographic study suggest that social media serves three main roles in respondents lives: 1) a tool of communication, 2) a pass time activity, and 3) a source of information. When asked what role social media play in their lives, many survey respondents cited multiple roles. Of the 50 respondents in the selected sample, 24 said that social media helps them to keep connected with friends and family members. One respondent said it was an important tool for staying connected with people who lived in another city and that social media plays a crucial part of [his/her] life: I guess I didnt realize just how big of a role it played in my life until I cut it out of my life for a few days. Its how I communicate with my family, all of which live far away. Its how I show my emotions to people, whether its a status about my opinion on a football team or a humorous video ive found on tumbler that I want to share with my friends. Its a very crucial part of my life. I spend more time on social media than I do at the gym or watching tv. Another respondent said that he/she was uncertain as to what role social media plays in his/her life, but cited social medias ability to serve as a mode of communication as a reason why he/she uses it: Social medias role in my life is not even very clear to me. Several times I have thought about deleting my facebook, but I guess the reason I kept it is to stay in touch with friends from home who went to different colleges. Participant 1 is noted to use social media almost exclusively to keep in contact with people in her circle of friends. She rarely generates content, but rather uses social media to check in with friends who live far away and people she does not see on a daily basis. When asked what role she felt social media played in her life, Participant 1 responded: 14

It helps keep me connected and informed with those in the outside world and those close to home. Survey respondents also said that they use social media as a way to pass time. 21 of the 50 respondents said they pass time using social media; many of them said social media is a way to avoid being bored: Social media isnt a necessity to me. Its more just a time filler when Im bored, I pull out my phone while Im walking to class to occupy my time, or Ill scroll through Facebook news feed when Im laying in bed trying to fall asleep. Participant 2, when in a larger social setting, was noted to take out her phone when not actively engaged in conversation. She remained on her phone until she was invited back into the conversation, usually by name or direct question. Social media seems to be a way that people fill time, even when they are not seeking to be engaged with it. Some participants responded that social media is a way to waste time. One individual said that social media is a useless pastime which can easily become mindless entertainment: Social media pretty much keeps me preoccupied when Im bored and helps me look up people when friends are talking about them. This sounds weird, but even when Im going to visit my friends at different colleges Ill get on Facebook first and theyll usually give me a list of people Ill be hanging out with so I can go creep on them. Theres no real purpose, just gathering useless information. Its almost like surfing the web just going around from person to person and usually I dont even realize how many pages of pictures of people Ive looked at. Its mindless entertainment. Participant 3 often used social media while waiting or relaxing during the observation period. She scrolled through her Twitter feed while waiting for class to start and while waiting to use a treadmill at the gym. In addition to serving as a pastime and way to communicate with friends

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and family members, social media serves as a source of information for respondents, many of whom said that it is a way for them to stay informed of current events. Participant 2 said that she feels social media is beneficial because it helps her keep up with the world and events via a medium with which she is comfortable. Likewise, Participant 3 said that of all social media, she uses Twitter the most because she likes to follow news sources and read what people are saying about current events. While some participants described how they use social media to keep up with news, more of them said that they use social media to keep up with what friends are doing. Beyond using social media to communicate with friends, these respondents said they use social media to observe what friends are doing: Social media plays the role of updating in my life. It is nice to see pictures of the friends from high school that I do not talk to on a regular basis. It is also nice to see what my close friends from home are doing as well. The only time I really go on Facebook is to view pictures. And the only time I loose my concentration with Facebook is when I post something and I am always checking to see how many comments and likes I got...so embarrassing. When asked what they missed the most about abstaining from social media, many respondents said they missed feeling connected to others. Results imply that many respondents associate connection with knowing what is going on in others lives. When asked whether he/she felt more or less connected to people while abstaining from social media, one respondent said: I felt like I was less connected with people. I was more connected with my family, because those were the people I was with, but I felt like I was missing out on something. Missing out on what was going on in others lives caused some participants to feel that they were disconnected from people and seems to suggest that social media plays an important role in tying people together. It also allows some respondents to feel like they are part of the social

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environment. When asked what role social media plays in her life, Participant 3 said that although social media is not crucial, it does define part of her social life: I: What role do you feel social media plays in your life? Participant 3: It used to be an important part of my life, until I deleted my Facebook. Then I realized that I dont need it. Now that Im back on it, I find myself using it less. I hate to say that Twitter and Instagram dont play a huge part of my life, but its like events dont happen unless you Instagram them. Its fun because you can make whatever you did look like it was a blast, even if it wasnt. We always think about letting the public know how much fun were having. What social and cultural meanings to social media have for participants? The study reveals multiple ways in which social media has social and cultural meaning for participants. Based upon survey respondents answers and observation of Participant 1, 2 and 3, the study suggests that social media has social and cultural value for participants for the following reasons: 1) It helps them sustain relationships with friends and family members, 2) It defines social norms by showing what other people are doing in the social environment, and 3) It allows participants to stay culturally informed by providing an avenue to know about current events. Many respondents said that social media allows them to interact with people in their social networks and, thus, maintain relationships. Social media is, then, often a tool in which these respondents find value because of its ability to connect them with their friends and family members. Some respondents said that even though they may not directly interact with friends and family members online, social media allows them to feel connected just by knowing what people in their networks were doing: As a college student, specifically an out-of-state college student, I use social media as a way to connect to people back home. Even though the use of social media does not 17

always involve communication directly, somehow you still feel apart of peoples lives just by knowing what is going on day to day. Social media can also define social norms for participants. By observing what other users are doing, respondents use social media to stay informed of social events. One respondent said that social media determines what he or she should be doing in a social context: Social Media is the lifeline to my social life. It lets me know what everyone else is doing or going- which dictates where I am going to go and what I am going to do! When asked how she uses social media, Participant 1 cited multiple ways, including keeping up with her social environment and with popular culture: I: How do you use social media? Participant 1: To see what is going on in the lives of my friends, to get updates and news on what is going on in the world, and to share what is going on in my life and let my friends know what is going on. Social media also has cultural meaning for participants who use sites like Twitter and Facebook to keep up with current events. For Participant 3, social media provided an avenue for gathering more information about important news. During the observation period, she spent one evening watching breaking news unfold on TV. While watching the news, she frequently scrolled through her Twitter feed to obtain more information about the event from other news media. When asked what is the form of social media she uses the most, Participant 3 said she most often uses Twitter because it allows her to know what is going on within her culture. Do informants feel social media helps or hinders productivity in day-to-day life? When asked whether or not they felt more or less productive while abstaining from social media, 29 of the 50 respondents said they felt more productive, 16 said they felt neither more or less 18

productive, and 5 said they felt less productive (See Graph A, below). Of these respondents, many said that they were able to do school work or tasks that typically social media distracts them from doing. Several participants described the process of trying to be productive while using social media as a sort of cycle in which they take breaks from their work to check their social media accounts and, consequently, get sidetracked from their duties: I definitely felt more productive, and I probably would have noticed it more if we had done this when class was in session. However, I was working on music and school projects when not with family so I did catch myself trying to log in every now and then. It seems that I have developed this tendency to do my rounds after a couple hours of working. I have often caught myself pausing my work to check Facebook and email. I noticed it before after burning a half hour doing the rounds, but it was much more apparent when I couldnt actually log in. It was interesting having to remind myself not to log in, and I realized how often I actually take these breaks when Im working. It was noted that when beginning to study or do homework, Participant 1 would log onto Facebook for a minimum of 20 minutes before she would begin her work, and she would take intermittent Facebook breaks throughout her studying. When asked if she felt that social media ever inhibited her from doing other things, Participant 1 agreed, and said that if often kept her from being focused on what she was doing. I: Do you ever feel it [social media] inhibits you from doing other things? Participant 1: It can be very distracting when Im supposed to be doing something else, instead Ill look at what is going on with my best friends worlds, rather than focusing on what is going on in mine. Participant 3 reiterated this belief when asked whether or not she feels social media interferes with productivity. She said that she often finds herself going onto her social media accounts out of habit and consequently spending more time than she expected on these sites. At some times, she has to illicit help from friends in abstaining from social media when she needs to be 19

productive: I: Do you think social media interferes with productivity? Participant 3: Definitely yeah. Especially when Im doing work on the computer. When Im writing a paper and have writers block my fingers automatically go to Facebook. And when Im on the site Im on it forever. Looking at one thing leads to another and before I know it Im looking at someone from Timbuktu. Somebody told me about a blocker website and freshman year I did that when I was at the library during finals week. One year I had my friends change my password because I dont trust myself to say I wont go on Facebook when Im studying. While over 50% of the surveyed participants said they felt more productive without social media, 30% of them said they felt neither more or less productive without social media. 10% said they actually felt less productive without social media for various reasons. One respondent said: I felt less productive, because it is normally something I enjoy to take a break in between projects or my busy schedule and get on social media. It was nearly impossible for me to work on the Internet without wanting to go to FB, Twitter, or Instagram. I felt like I was handicapped and had less information available to me without being able to check social media. I would say that I could have gotten more done and be less anxious had I been able to access social media occasionally during the past two days. Regardless of whether or not participants felt that they were more or less productive without social media, their responses reveal that most of them have constant access to social media. Whether or not they allow social media to impede productivity is dependent on the individual: I use social media whenever Im bored, as a way to kill time and as a way to avoid work I know I should really be doing. Whenever I have an assignment to do that requires me to use my laptop, I find myself always having some form of social media open while trying to work on an assignment. While I may not be on it a lot during my assignment for some reason I still feel the need to have it open. I dont think I am addicted or obsessed by any means, I think its just a part of my generations life at this point. I can live without it but Id just rather have it. The study shows how social media has not only created social and cultural meaning for members 20

of the millennial generation, but has weaved itself into participants daily routines. Using social media has become a norm for participants and has redefined productivity, as it is often an activity in which people engage while simultaneously managing other tasks.

Graph A

Do participants feel an emotional, psychological or physical effect from use of or abstention from using social media? When asked how they felt after abstaining from social media, participants expressed various feelings. Some participants said that abstaining from social media was a positive experience, or one which did not have significant impact. Responses included that they felt fine, not much different, relaxed, and even refreshed. One respondent said that social media can be overwhelming because of the constant stream of information: I miss seeing photos from Instagram and Facebook the most. I least miss the overwhealming feeling I get when I see so many updates on the home page. I am a very thorough person and I feel as if I need to read all of the updates on the news feeds for some reason. So, It becomes even more overwhealming when I do this and realize I 21

could be much more productive with my time. Another respondents response to what role social media plays in her life echoes the above respondents feeling of being overwhelmed: It is a very small part of my life, my friend recently made a reference to a girl who not only rarely uses social media but she doesnt really understand a lot of it. The reference was: If there was someone who uses social media even less then you, its her. There are a couple of reasons I am this way. It is very stressful for me to feel like I need to check something. For example, with e-mail, it has taken me years to be able to check my e-mail consistently enough to stay on top of things. In the past, if I missed a day or two of checking it I would be fearful of checking it because I was sure I missed an assignment or message from a teacher. With social media, it is just overwhelming to me. I tend to be strategic in what pictures I decide to put up and how much I want to share with anyone who looks at my profile. Many people post pictures as they take them. In London, almost every night everyone would post all the pictures from that day. It was neat to see them go up in real time but when I put up pictures I enjoy it and it takes me time and I dont want to feel like I have to put them up everyday. If anything I need to force myself to learn to use these better because of a future job. It is also noted through the unstructured questioning of Participant 2, that frequent usage of social media lead to feelings of stress. Participant 2 stated that she felt that she could be using her time more productively, which caused her to feel stressed. Participant 2 also stated that heavy social media usage created feelings of jealousy. She stated that she would view other peoples pages and feel jealous of their lives instead of focusing on her own. Participant 2s commentary and the responses of surveyed participants suggest that using social media can be stressful; thus abstaining from it was a relaxing experience for the latter. However, other participants said that abstaining from social media was a less positive experience. Some said that going without it caused them to feel anxious, bummed, bored, and isolated. Some of those who felt stressed said that not being out of touch with what was going on via social media caused anxiety. Others said they felt stressed because they were bored. This stress also caused one respondent to 22

be physically affected: I realized social media is a time waster I use when I am bored and need something to do. On Friday I was sitting on my couch at home with my family and kept fiddling with my phone wanting to open my social media sites just to pass time but couldnt. I started feeling anxious and could not just sit there. I got up a few times and walked around the house but as soon as I sat back down I found myself wanting to get on social media again. Despite that the effect of using or abstaining from using social media varied among participants, the study suggests that social media does have some sort of emotional, psychological and physical impact on respondents.

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LIMITATIONS AND FUTURE RESEARCH

Limitations Due to the nature of the study, students were able to select the two days within a certain time span in which they abstained from social media. Many of the students in the sample chose their Thanksgiving break as the time in which they would not use social media. Overall, this is not an accurate example of everyday routines. The respondents, who were mostly students, did not have as much schoolwork that the social media could distract them from as they normally would. Many respondents stated that they did not miss social media during their abstention because they were either busy with their family or relaxing and doing other things. This sample would be more accurate of the general population if the respondents abstained from social media during a time when their classes were in session. Another limitation for the study was part of the post-assignment questionnaire when respondents were asked questions pertaining to their levels of addiction. The responses were varied across the board. Upon our further research with a word association survey, we found that each of our respondents associated the word addiction with drugs. Participant 1 and 3 both answered drugs when asked what word they associated with addiction, while Participant 2 answered needles. This shows that the respondents each had a different definition of the word addiction. This is to say, that addiction is thought of more along the lines of drugs, and is thus harder for the respondents to grasp in the context of social media. There might have been more clear and consistent answers if the respondents were given a universal definition of addiction before taking this survey.

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CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Social media plays multiple roles in participants lives. The study suggests that its ability to provide an avenue for communication and connection among users is why participants feel compelled to use it. Firstly, social media acts as a communication tool through which participants feel they are able to converse with friends and family members. Secondly, it serves as a way for participants to avoid boredom and maintain constant activity in their daily routines. Engaging with social media platforms allows participants to stay connected with friends and current events to pass time. Remaining engaged with social media is also a way for participants to feel connected to the world around them. The data suggests that social media often acts as a sort of thread tying social interactions together, as well as tying users to culture. It can also define social and cultural norms for participants, who often look to what others are doing on social media to construct reality. Thus, social media has social and cultural value for participants. Because today social media has meaning for many members of the millennial generation, who engage in social networking on a daily basis, these individuals may be less likely to understand the difference between normal levels of use and addiction. They may be less likely to be able to draw themselves away from using social media, because it has become a common habit among the millennial generation. Possible consequences of overusing social media without cognition could be increased feelings of stress and anxiety, which results from information overload and from reduced productivity in other areas of users lives. In the future, we recommend that there be more research conducted regarding the physical and psychological effects on users, both heavy and light, of social media sites. There should also be more research regarding social media sites limiting productivity, and the effect it has on users desires to be productive. There should also be greater work put into creating an 25

overarching definition of addiction for when it exclusively applies to the Internet and social media, so that there is further public clarification between this growing addiction and more common types of addiction; including, drugs, alcohol, gambling, etc.

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REFERENCES
Bennett, I. (2013, Feb 11). Social Media - The New Addiction. Reuters. Retrieved from http://www.reuters.com/video/2013/02/17/social-media-the-new-addiction?videoId=241041887

Berconci, J. (2013, April 4). Is Facebook Home Facebooks Answer to Facebook Fatigue?. Forbes.com, 17

Boyle, K. (2012, Dec 28). Think Youre Giving Up Social Media? Think Again. The Washington Post. Retrieved from http://articles.washingtonpost.com/2012-1228/lifestyle/36071109_1_social-media-bergen-facebook-addiction-scale-facebook-and-twitter

Charles, S. (2011, Aug) From Facebook to Facetime, Ebony, Vol 66 Issue 10, 53 Charman-Anderson, S. (2009, Dec 8). Seeking Addiction: The Role of Dopamine in Social Media. Computer Weekly, 16

Correa, T., Hinsley, A., & de Ziga, H. (2010). Who interacts on the Web?: The intersection of users personality and social media use. Computers In Human Behavior, 26(2), 247-253. doi:10.1016/j.chb.2009.09.003

Dill, K. (2013, Feb 2). Facebook: Lurking, Like and Life Satisfaction. Psychology Today. Retrieved from http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/how-fantasy-becomesreality/201302/facebook-lurking-liking-and-life-satisfaction

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Donley, M. (2011, Feb 4). Does Social Media Addiction Really Exist? South Source. Retrieved from http://source.southuniversity.edu/does-social-media-addiction-really-exist-31795.aspx

Duggan, M., & Brenner, J. (2013). The Demographics of Social Media Users 2012. Pew Internet. Retrieved from http://pewinternet.org/Reports/2013/Social-media-users.aspx Flacy, M. (2012, Feb 4). Study: Is Facebook More Addictive Than Alcohol or Cigarettes? Digital Trends. Retrieved from http://www.digitaltrends.com/social-media/study-is-facebookmore-addictive-than-alcohol-or-cigarettes/

Franceschi-Bicchierai, L. (2012, Nov 2). How is Facebook Affecting Our Minds? Mashable. [Video file]. Retrieved from http://mashable.com/2012/11/03/facebook-addiction/

Grabowski, G. (2013). Millennials Leisure Trends US February 2013.

Hill, K. (2013, Feb 5). Why People Take Breaks From Facebook, Forbes.com, 42

Horn, L. (2012, Feb). Study Finds Reason Behind Facebook Addiction, PC Magazine, 08888507

Hulkower, B. (2012). Social Networking US May 2012. Mintel. Retrieved from http://academic.mintel.com/display/590566/?highlight=true

Kirkham, J. (2012, Mar 11). Has Facebook Fatigue Set in Just as Advertisers Start Signing Up?.

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Kraus, E. (2012). Millennials & Social Media. Diplomatic Courier, 6(5), 46-47.

Kuss, D. J., & Griffiths, M. D. (2011). Online Social Networking and Addiction: A Review of the Psychological Literature. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 8. doi:10.3390/ijerph8093528. Retrieved from www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerph

Luxton, David. (2012, February 1). Social Media and Suicide: A Public Health Perspective. Framing Health Matters, Vol. 102. Retrieved From http://www.scribd.com/doc/113186642/Social-Media-and-Suicide

McNamara, P. (2010, Feb 8). Internet Addiction Linked to Depression (Sigh). Network World, Vol 27 Issue 3, 42

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APPENDICES ETHNOGRAPHY PROCEDURE

Participant 1 was observed from 8 AM to 8 PM on Monday April 15th, 2013. The observations took place at home in her apartment, in various classrooms, in the library, in the car, and in university-provided dining venues. She was observed using Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest, but predominantly Facebook. She accessed these sites through her smartphone and her personal laptop, depending on the situation and whether or not it was appropriate to use either device. In total, she used social media for approximately two hours of her day. Participant 2 was observed from 11 AM to 6 PM on Tuesday April 23rd, 2013 for a total of 7 hours. The observation took place in the participants home, car, grocery store, and a local restaurant. She was observed using several social media sites on both her phone and computer. She reported before the observation that she used social media around two hours a day. Participant 2 used the social media sites Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest during the observation, with Facebook being the most heavily used. After observing Participant 2, it was evident that she actually used social media for four and a half hours that day. Participant 3 was observed during two separate time periods for a total of 9.5 hours. The first half of the study was conducted on Friday, April 19, from 7:30 PM until 12:00 AM, at the participants home. She was observed using social media via her mobile phone and computer. The second half of the study was conducted on Tuesday, April 23 from 8:00 AM until 1:00 PM. She was observed at her home, on her walk to classes, and at the university gym using social media on her phone and computer. During these periods, the participant used Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and Snapchat for a total of about 2 hours.

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SOCIAL MEDIA QUESTIONNAIRE

Participant: Interviewer: Date: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. What forms of social media do you use? Which do you use most frequently? How do you use social media? What role do you feel social media plays in your life? Do you think social media is beneficial to you? Do you ever feel it inhibits you from doing other things? Do you think social media interferes with productivity? How does social media affect you emotionally? Do you feel youre addicted to social media? Why or why not?

10. Would you ever give up social media? Why or why not?

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WORD ASSOCIATION
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. Social media Communication Facebook Networking Twitter Friends Instagram Addiction LinkedIn

10. Culture 11. Pinterest 12. Social life

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