Tag Archives: behaviourism

Is Facebook addictive?

In the wake of the National Security Agency (NSA) information sharing scandal many are questioning their use of social media sites and what they share over the internet. Yet how many people will actually come off Facebook? I wasn’t as surprised by the NSA story as many people seemed to be, but security aside I’m not convinced that Facebook does much to improve my quality of life. If anything it makes me more distractible, less efficient, and more likely to waste time looking at other people’s lives rather than live my own fully. So why is it so hard to leave it? Sure, there are rational reasons why I like it: I hear about social events on there, it connects me to international friends, I enjoy seeing other people’s pictures. But is there something else that hooks me in? Is Facebook addictive? Continue reading