Social Media Addiction - Research Paper Example

 ABSTRACT This study examined Media Addiction among the young students of John Abbott College on how they use media, the frequency of use, their habits and feelings on today's media. The study used survey design to explore the students’ attitudes and opinions. The literature review presented studies related to the topic of study generating the knowledge gap. Data was analyzed both quantitatively and qualitatively. The study used both interview guides and questionnaire to obtain responses from the study participants. The findings of the study reveals that this study generation surfers from social media addiction. The study recommends for more research to be conducted on how students in the institution us­ing social media in comparison to the generations prior and the new generations. Social Media Addiction Introduction Social media addiction was diagnosed as the major influence in children around the world. Research estimated that eighty percent of children get addicted to social media and video games every year. Addiction refers to the physical or psychological dependence to a substance, or in this case the dependence to media. Block (2008, pp. 67) argues that the most affected group of children is the teenagers. Research has been conducted to determine what makes some media networks more addictive than others and to determine if there is a correlation children's attention. Studies have revealed that there are some types of media like Face book that are more addictive than others, and that these addictions have a direct correlation to children’s attention span. Literature Review The literature review presents studies related to the research topic to generate the knowledge gap and areas that need more research. The literature review aims at providing more information on what has already been done based on social media addiction. The contemporary digital period has brought unexpected developments in knowledge that has distorted the way lots of people retrieve and make use of information. The dependable technical developments that assist attach the world can be viewed as either valuable or disadvantageous to human relations. The process of changing human communal communication, and the way the mind comprehends information is being conducted, by the World Wide Web. As a result, scholars plunge into the probable of social media addiction, and the social media effect on other individual action changes. Due to reviewing fundamental demographics, all along with emotional, and behavioural effects, researchers stay behind shabby on whether, social media addiction does exist. However, they are in agreement, that the new social medial period does pressure the expansion of the human being brain. A survey conducted in 2009, revealed that young people spend more of their time watching TV, sending text messages, playing video games or making social media interactions. Social video games are addictive just like gambling or alcoholism. The main aim is to look at how media is disrupting the child works, life family relations among others. It was found that there is a link between watching television or video game playing and concentration problems in less than 1,300 brood aged eight to eleven years old, based on evaluation by teachers. The research revealed that children who watched TV for more than two hours had problems in their attention span. Evidence from the research conducted on social media and video game addiction indicates that not all video games are equal and that some TV is not associated with increased concentration problems. The majority population that engages in recreation of nearly all games becomes obsessed. People who are addicted to playing games end up indulging in drinking alcohol to avoid becoming addicted or avoid a situation that they might lose their savings to playing games (Block, 2008, pp. 99). Nearly all play surrounded by good physical shape limits achievements in an individual; thus, becoming a main concern that prevents victory and expansion in the actual person, except for the a smaller amount- less than 10 per cent- of who build up unnecessary bet habits (Chappell, 2006, pp.106). Young teens who engage themselves in these sorts of games become attached to the game because of the progress they have made in them. One of the major factors that cause so many young kids to become addicted to these types of games is because of the rewards they receive in the game and the feeling of accomplishment (Chappell, 2006, pp.106). Games have become a massive consumer of teen’s lives, and media addiction is no different or less of a danger than drug or alcohol abuse. A study conducted by Charlton (2007, pp.78) states that practical sports event cannot be devoid of unification a team. Once a portion of a squad or company is likely to be accessible for significant intentions or raids, they are likely to acquire unhealthy play. Psychologists have revealed a habit of constant checking of mails after work leads to social media addiction. According to Karaiskos (2010, pp.88), the term internet addiction entails a disgrace, and internet technology are used by many individuals within the community today. When one gets addicted, it becomes a problem preventing the individual from getting involved in life experiences. In the treatment of social media and video game addiction, parents should be involved since they are nearer to the children, and keep on using internet services at home. Media and video game addiction are grave issues that are heartbreaking families all over the world. For most of the children, video games are mainly meant to make the children feel entertained; therefore, it is important to ensure that the time children take playing video games is not long enough to cause addiction. There are quite a lot of ways to control video game dependence. However, research conducted by various analysts indicates that there exist numerous gaps in this research. There is a need conduct research to find out rate of occurrence, and pervasiveness of clinically momentous problems linked with video game play among the teenagers. Research has been conducted on this issue, but none has been conducted to investigate on the rate of pervasiveness of predicament of video game playing in the world (Herrera, 2010, pp.77). There are also few research studies that portray outcomes of video game dependence. Some studies have evaluated the task of structural distinctiveness of video games in controlling predicament playing behaviour, except there is little experimental research that investigates why a few people may be confined from increasing unnecessary playing behaviour, or merely get rid of their challenging playing behaviour. Research rationale & Methodology statement This study was important because the findings would provide information that can be used in future planning, and improvement of social media and video game addiction treatments. The findings provided information that can be used by parents, and educationists improve the methods in treating this addiction. A Survey design was used since it is widely acknowledged as an appropriate strategy for capturing the opinion, perception and attitudes of people about events which in this case was media addiction treatment. The survey was split up into two groups of male and female. The target was acquired from thirty completed surveys from each sex. The target populations were all individuals that may or may not be addicted to media channels. The survey acquired information on young students of John Abbott College on how the use media, the frequency of use, their habits and feelings on today's media. Questionnaires were distributed to the respondents who were required to fill and return to me while keeping all information anonymous. Interviews were conducted by the researcher who analyzed the relevant documents. It was important to keep the ethics and confidentiality of the person of whom has allowed the researcher to interview them. The interview was recorded as proof of the interview. The quantitative data was analyzed using frequencies, and percentages. Data from the interview was organized into themes. Statistical data were coded in the statistical software for analysis. Presentation and analysis of data Presented in this section are the findings of the data analysis of the study together with their interpretation. All of the data presented in this section were processed using statistical package for social science (SPSS); all themes discussing the research questions were presented. This analysis of data is presented in both qualitative and quantitative forms. Background information Study participants were commonly social media users obtained by means of a snowball sampling procedure to arrive at a range of individuals and age categories. A total thirty completed surveys from each sex of study participants participated in this research study. Of the thirty completed surveys 73.8% were ladies and 26.2% were men. The findings are further illustrated in graph 1.1 below. Figure 1.1 Gender Distributions Additionally, 79.2% were among 17 and 21 years of age, 16.6% were 22-25 years, 2.6% were above 31 years, followed by 1% that were between 26-30 years, and finally0.6% were 16 and below. This survey effectively managed to get the targeted audience who are all social media users based on the mainstream of the study participants. The figure below provides more illustration on age distribution. Figure 1.2 Respondents distribution in terms of Age When answering the third item, majority of the respondents indicated that they spent between 31-60 and 61-90 minutes. In cooperation, all responses received just about 32% of the responses. On the other hand, 15% indicated that they exhausted between 91-120 minutes, preceded by 10.5% for extra 120 minutes, and 10.2% for less than 30 minutes. This information bring to a close that an enormous number of the participants in this research survey were previously spending a huge deal of period using social media sites. Individual perception When responding to how one feels addicted to Social Media, majority, 59%, of the respondents indicated that they approved, others 22.4% indicated that they have nothing to indicate based on the topic. The response indicated assessed the individual awareness the study participants possessed on their social media addiction. These information from the responses assist the assert that because the students are using these media sites so regularly they are conscious of a potential addiction, though some feel that they may perhaps live with or devoid of social media contact. Individual addiction The respondents were asked to indicate how often they find themselves spending more time in the social media sites. Minority of them indicated that 38.7% of the study participants indicated that they often get themselves in this quandary, along with 27.5% of them who indicated that they sometimes get involved, and 27.2% of the indicated that they often get involve. This response directly associates itself with the behavioural portion of broad-mindedness, stating that ever-increasing amounts of a specific movement are requisite in order to accomplish the identical result. A majority of this population unknowingly exhausted a lot of time on social media for them to feel content with their practice. The incapability to be in charge of the quantity of time exhausted on these media sites connects to the personal require to strengthen the effective relations on a more dependable basis. Social intermediate moves so unbelievably speedy that broad-mindedness requirements to produce to preserve the association between the consumer and knowledge. Most of the respondents indicated that they always say just a few moments, while on the media sites. In that, 24.3% indicated often, and 23.6% indicated sometimes, and the 18.5% of them who indicated rarely. These information indicates that, this representative sample has a sky-scraping level of broad-mindedness with regards to communal social media, and experience that they require to use more of the time using social media for them to fell happy. In response to how often social media addiction interferes with ones work, majority of study participants, 32.3% indicated sometimes, while some of these respondents 25.2% indicated often, and 21.7% indicated very often. This disagreement is imitative from both the individual or individual conflict associated with the use social media. Eventually, the greater part of these respondents who use social media claim from time to time be in split between individual social media handling and the capability to stay on job. The reoccurring internal conflict in the midst of this young generation’s capability to be creative or consume more time on societal media has consequences on how each person does his duties in education centres, place of work, and in their concrete associations. This internal conflict gets rid of social media from exclusively interaction in the world but ensures it influence the real physical world. In general, this internal conflict of efficiency provides challenges where social media has a major influence on influence over the person’s thinking procedure. Responses from the ninth item indicate internal conflict of social media correlates with the issue of conflict. This question evaluated the individual relationships one asserts that in combination with the social media. As a consequence, 26.5% of study respondents indicated rarely, 21.3% indicated sometimes, 21.3% also indicated never, and 17.4% who indicated very rarely. It is obvious that as of this target population that individual conflict is not of necessity a predicament. Exterior conflicts concerning social media usage among the students are not a problem because, as an intact, they are familiarized to get addicted to social media on a daily basis. Conclusion Based on the result the study summarises that there is a call to control particularized social media use. These results closely attach excited on recurrent of the aspects of societal media as presented in the literature review, the same way as the autonomous studies described in the introduction. This research study had an extra study limitation in responses to the gathering of investigation by depending profoundly on self- account evaluation; a method viewed as undependable and prejudiced. These findings depend to a great extent on the study respondent and their individual self- insight. This research depends on self-reported procedures of opinions, attitudes and practice might have been tilted. Additionally, the questions evaluated were mainly close-ended items in the questionnaires. To draw together more adequate findings and clarification, more open-ended items in the questionnaires should be constructed and used. The order of the items may have also given some skewing of the findings by asking the respondents if the feel addicted to social media this question may have may have distorted the study participants selection to added establish or refute their own self- evaluation of social media dependence. More research needs to be conducted; this self- awareness problem to allow more responses throughout. Research should be conducted to explore whether this cluster would experience from removal when knowledge was removed. Additionally, potentially interviewing and developing a case study investigating youths should be conducted to assess mood adjustment and interpersonal disagreement. By evaluating these two issues in a substitute way, a study may make available imminent on how this grouping interacts in their concrete and real world’s experience. Future research studies should appraise how students in the institution us­ing social media in comparison to the generations prior and the new generations. These responses can be obtained through focus on group discussion. References Block, J. (2008). Internet Dependence .American Journal of Psychiatry, 165 (3), 306-307. Brand, W. (2009). Internet addiction among the youths in Australia. Gold Coast: Bond University Press. Chappell, E. (2006). An interpretative phenomenological analysis of internet addiction. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 4, 205-16. Charlton, M. (2007). Characteristic dependence and high engagement in the circumstance of internet dependence game playing. Computers in Human Behaviour, 23, 1531-1548. Chen, V., Kaunchin C., and William, H. (2010). "Antecedents of online game dependency: the implications of multimedia realism and uses and gratifications theory." Journal of Database Management, 2010; 21.2 Gordon, S. (2011). Video game 'addiction' tied to depression, anxiety in kids. Retrieved March 8, 2011, from http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=124769 Hagedorn, W. Bryce, and Tabitha Young. "Identifying and intervening with students exhibiting signs of gaming addiction and other addictive behaviors: implications for professional school counselors." Professional School Counseling Apr. 2011: 250. Herrera, Y. (2010). Compulsion Related to Low Self-Esteem, Gloominess and Need of Social Skills. Psicología Iberoamericana, 2010; Vol. 18 No.1. Karaiskos, W. (2010). Social system confidence: a new clinical disorder? European Psychiatry, 25, 855-855. Mark, D. (2009). “The Role of Context in Online Gaming Excess and Addiction: Some Case Study Evidence”. Springer Science + Business Media 2009. Nigel, E. (2007). A Comment on "Problems with the concept of video game 'addiction'. Int J Ment Addiction,6, 186-190. Appendix A Questionnaire Background information 1) Indicate your age brackets I. Below 16 years II. 17-21 years III. 22-25 years IV. 26-30 years V. 31 years and above 2) Indicate your gender I. Male II. Female Use of social media 4. How long do you exhaust on social media sites on a daily basis? I. A smaller amount than 30 Minutes II. Between 31-60 Minutes III. Between 61-90 Minutes IV. Between 91-120 Minutes V. Not more than 120 Minutes Identity - Awareness 5. Do you sense that you are enthusiastic to Social Media? I. Strongly Disagree II. Disagree III. Neutral IV. Strongly Agree V. Agree Six Mechanisms of Social Media 6. How repeatedly do you discover that you consume more time than planned on Social Media? Very Rarely Often Rarely Sometimes Rarely Very Often 7. How frequently do you verify your social media sites prior to something else that you necessitate to do? Very Rarely Often Rarely Sometimes Rarely Very Often 8. How frequently do you feel your efficiency suffers as a result of social media? Very Rarely Often Rarely Sometimes Rarely Very Often 9 How often do you attempt to control the amount of time you waste online and be unsuccessful? Very Rarely Often Rarely Sometimes Rarely Very Often 10 How frequently do you discover yourself aphorism “in a minute” when making use of social media? Very Rarely Often Rarely Sometimes Rarely Very Often 11. How frequently do other people remark on your use of social media? Very Rarely Often Rarely Sometimes Rarely Very Often 12. How frequently do you characteristically feel tense out, detached or suspicious when you cannot contact social media sites? Very Rarely Often Rarely Sometimes Rarely Very Often Appendix B Research proposal Social Media Addiction Social media addiction has been diagnosed as the major influence in children around the world. It is estimated that eighty percent of children get addicted to social media and video games every year. For this paper, it is important to define what "addiction" means and how it will be perceived through the study. Addiction is usually defined as a physical or psychological dependence to a substance, or in this case the dependence to media. Brand (2009, pp. 67) argues that the most affected group of children is the teenagers. Research has been conducted to determine what makes some media networks more addictive than others and to determine if there is a correlation children's attention. Studies have revealed that there are some types of media like Facebook that are more addictive than others, and that these addictions have a direct correlation to children’s attention span. Literature Review A survey conducted in 2009 revealed that young people spend more of their time watching TV, sending text messages, playing video games or making social media interactions. Social video games are addictive just like gambling or alcoholism. The main aim is to look at how media is disrupting the child works, life family relations among others. It was found that there is a link between watching television or video game playing and concentration problems in less than 1,300 brood aged eight to eleven years old, based on evaluation by teachers. The research revealed that children who watched TV for more than two hour had problems in their attention span. Evidence from the research conducted on social media and video game addiction indicates that not all video games are equal and that some TV is not associated with increased concentration problems; thus, finally bringing me to my research question for the paper. What are the negative effects of media addiction? The majority population that engages in recreation of nearly all games become obsessed. People who are addicted to playing games end up indulging in drinking alcohol to avoid becoming addicted or avoid a situation that they may losing their savings to playing games (Block, 2008, pp. 99). Nearly all play surrounded by good physical shape limits achievements in an individual; thus, becoming a main concern that prevents victory and expansion in the actual person, except for the a smaller amount- less than 10 per cent- of who build up unnecessary bet habits (Chappell, 2006, pp.106). Young teens who engage themselves in these sorts of games become attached to the game because of the progress they have made in them. One of the major factors that cause so many young kids to become addicted to these types of games is because of the rewards they receive in the game and the feeling of accomplishment. Games have become a massive consumer of teen’s lives, and media addiction is no different or less of a danger than drug or alcohol abuse. A study conducted by Charlton (2007, pp.78) states that practical sports event cannot be devoid of unification a team. Once a portion of a squad or company is likely to be accessible for significant intentions or raids, they are likely to acquire unhealthy play. Psychologists have revealed a habit of constant checking of mails after work leads to social media addiction. According to Karaiskos (2010, pp.88) the term internet addiction entails a disgrace and internet technology is used by many individuals within the community today. When one gets addicted, it becomes a problem preventing the individual from getting involved in life experiences. In the treatment of social media and video game addiction, parents should be involved since they are nearer to the children and keep on using internet services at home. Media and video game addiction are grave issues that are heartbreaking families all over the world. For most of the children, video games are mainly meant to make the children feel entertained; therefore, it is important to ensure that the time children take playing video games is not long enough to cause addiction. There are quite a lot of ways to control video game dependence. However, research conducted by various analysts indicates that there exist numerous gaps in this research. There is a need conduct research on epidemiological studies to find out rate of occurrence and pervasiveness of clinically momentous problems linked with video game play among the teenagers. Research has been conducted on this issue, but none has been conducted to investigate on the rate of pervasiveness of predicament of video game playing in the world (Herrera, 2010, pp.77). There are also few research studies that portray outcomes of video game dependence. Some studies have evaluated the task of structural distinctiveness of video games in controlling predicament playing behaviour, except there is little experimental research that investigates why a few people may be confined from increasing unnecessary playing behaviour, or merely get rid of their challenging playing behaviour. Research rationale & Methodology statement This study is important because the findings will provide information for use in the future planning and improvement of social media and video game addiction treatments. The findings will provide information that can be used by parents and educationists improve the methods in treating this addiction. A survey design will be used since it is widely acknowledged as an appropriate strategy for capturing the opinion, perception and attitudes of people about events which in this case is media addiction treatment. The survey will be split up into two groups of male and female. The target will be to acquire thirty completed surveys from each sex. The target populations are all individuals that may or may not be addicted to media channels. The survey will acquire information on young students of John Abbott College on how the use media, the frequency of use, their habits and feelings on today's media. Questionnaires will be distributed to the respondents who will be required to fill and return to me while keeping all information anonymous. Interviews will be conducted by me who will also analyze the relevant documents. It is important to keep the ethics and confidentiality of the person of whom has allowed me to interview them. The interview will be recorded as proof of the interview. The quantitative data will be analyzed using frequencies, and percentages. Data from the interview will be organized into themes. Statistical data will be coded in the statistical software for analysis. Read More