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By Brian Johnston

“Hi, my name is John, and I am an alcoholic.”

This stereotypical start to an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting is so commonplace in media and pop culture that it has become a cliché catch phrase for addiction. Likewise, people think of substance abuse when they consider addiction. On college campuses nationwide, the top three addictions are ranked as follows: alcohol, cannabis, and prescription drugs. Studies show 38 percent of CU-Boulder students reported using marijuana in the previous 30 days, compared to the national college average of 15.7 percent.

While most people may associate these drugs with addiction, many are not aware of the rising problem of college students’ dependency on social media.

Addiction or not?

The validity of social media as an addiction is controversial. Robin Kolble, a health educator at ���񱦵�, states that “Addiction to me is someone who has to increasingly use whatever media or substance, whatever it is they are hooked on.” CU-Boulder students report using social media anywhere from one to five hours a day. This amount of time spent on sites like Facebook or Twitter is a large factor in many professionals’ belief that social media can be considered an addiction.

The American Psychological Association (APA) recently listed internet gaming addiction as a valid disorder in the fifth volume of the Diagnostic Statistical Manual of Mental Illness (DSM V). The APA’s reason was that “the gaming prompts a neurological response that influences feelings of pleasure and reward, and the result, in the extreme, is manifested as addictive behavior.” The manual added that such addictions occur to help escape from reality.

Several professionals wish to extend this addition to social media as well, since a similar phenomenon can be observed with it in people who act differently over social networking. However, the APA stated that “At this time, the criteria for this condition are limited to Internet gaming and do not include general use of the Internet, online gambling, or social media.” But the addition of a form of internet disorder in the DSM shows an attempt to add conditions resulting from new technologies. Thus the recognition of social media addiction as a valid disorder may be soon in the coming.

Addictive Qualities

Many people do not consider social media as an addiction due to the lack of an addictive substance. However, in a study coordinated by the University of Maryland and the Salzburg Academy in Austria, 1,000 students in 10 countries were asked to abstain from any type of media consumption for 24 hours. That meant no forms of social media, no television, and no cellphones games. A majority of participants could not withstand the entire 24 hours. Some of these students could not even last an hour. The students were then asked to document their experience. An American student wrote “I was itching, like a crack head, because I could not use my phone.”

Such addiction is based on a behavioral and psychological dependency rather than a physiological dependency. Dr. Donald Misch, the director of the Wardenburg Health Center on the CU-Boulder Campus, states that “Animal studies show that behavioral and psychological side effects of addiction are probably more important in relapse and the ability to quit than are physical symptoms.” It is this cognitive need to use Facebook or LinkedIn — not a chemical imbalance — that becomes the basis of such an addiction.

Some researchers even claim that social media are more addictive than substances like alcohol or nicotine. A University of Chicago study had 205 people report whenever they had a desire to succumb to an urge to use alcohol, cigarettes, Facebook or Twitter. Preliminary results showed more people failed to resist the desire to use social media than any type of substance.

The Detrimental Effects

Students can become so intent on social media that they lose track of their classes or their social lives. Joe Courtney, a psychologist at CU’s Wardenburg Health Center, states that “I do think that people who are graduating from college have a need to learn how to communicate in the real world, how to interview with people, how to have face-to-face communications, communication in staff meeting and groups.”

Such vital skills for surviving in the real world can be diminished when communication occurs over the internet. Wardenburg health educator Kolble said that study habits can often be harmed by the distractions of the internet and social media. This in turn impacts academic results, which can ultimately lead to problems finding jobs after graduating.

Social Media addiction is a controversial condition that many student do not consider to be valid or harmful (see video above). However, there are many studies and professionals that disagree. Living in the era of ever evolving technology, these types of addictions may become more and more pertinent as time goes by.

See related story: Campus to launch recovery program

Addiction Quiz

Do you have a #socialaddiction? If you’re interested in finding out whether your Internet use is approaching dangerous levels, .

Tweet (In Moderation)

If you want a place to discuss whether social media constitute a rising problem among college students, or share your results from our quiz, tweet your opinions or results with the tag #socialaddiction.