Part 3 of 4: Why People Get “Addicted” to Facebook
All up, all in . . . is Facebook dependence an addiction?
The short answer is no. Not yet. Medically speaking, Facebook overuse, obsession, or preoccupation is not considered (yet) to be a true addiction.
While behavioralists work to gather more data, they face another perplexing problem: categorizing a behavioral tendency that is different from other addictions. When afflicted with the demons of chronic overuse, victims traditionally wanted to rid themselves of the habit. They wanted to stop. This is not the case with digital dependence, where those afflicted do not seek to be cured but rather simply want to learn how to deal with it better.
This “continue to use” justification seems perplexing. I have had one friend lose his wife in a car accident — texting while driving — and another became paralyzed from the waist down with irreversible brain damage in another wreck. Faced with these grim realities of cause and effect, at what point does a man or woman realize he or she is no longer using their tools when the reverse is true — their tools are using them.
It is important to point out that while chronic Facebook overuse is a big problem for many, Facebook addiction has not yet been classified as a disorder by any psychological or medical organization. Digital inpatient clinics have opened, which is a harbinger of expansion treatment centers to come. But until scientists can tie together absolute cause and effect, what we have today isn’t called an addiction but rather a growing problem that sometimes destroys lives.
The inclusion of a new disorder, such as a proposal for “Facebook Addiction Disorder,” in the medical world’s diagnostic classification system requires years and sometimes decades of research. The Facebook phenomenon isn’t old enough to tick that box.
But like all variations of overt digital dependency, the afflicted differ from those truly addicted to better defined maladies such as drugs and alcohol due that one huge differentiator: The digitally afflicted do not want to stop using. They simply want to learn how to better control their usage behaviors. Few, it seems, want to quit.
While alcoholics want to stop drinking and drug addicts want to quit using, people hooked on technology, tools, or programs have no desire to quit—they simply want to better manage their actions. This is difficult because of the dopamine rewards distributed by the brain during what on the surface seems a simple, innocuous pursuit.
Facebook seems innocent enough. But as my friends whose loved ones now deal with a different reality, it is hard to shrug these terrible digital reliance tragedies off as innocent accidents.
Although psychologists and psychiatrists are often criticized as being overly eager to pathologize human behaviors, when it comes to “legitimizing” new disorders, they take a slow, conservative approach. They will only officially recognize new disorders after years of clinical and empirical research. In my opinion, science will eventually declare what many already know: excessive use of digital tools has a very bad influence on a growing number of lives.
So, for now, Facebook remains in its honeymoon phase. According to medical specialists, addiction does not yet exist.
Where does this leave us with overt Facebook reliance?
It is reasonable to suggest that while most people can use Facebook without becoming “addicted,” millions have difficulty keeping their Facebook habits under control.
Resultant problems will include:
- Placing more importance on securing more Facebook friends than on maintaining and developing real world friendships.
- Experiencing their own real world relationship problems due to excessive time on Facebook and the subsequent neglect or diminished trust of their partners.
- Their work performance and career promotability may suffer as a result of Facebook preoccupation. If a person cannot manage his or her own behaviors, how can they be trusted to lead or inspire the behaviors of others?
- Their academic performance may be given far less focus and attention because of their constant distractions and interactions with Facebook.
Is excessive Facebook use a problem for millions? Absolutely; and the number is growing. It is a household staple that issues a perplexing challenge. For every “justification” there seems a victim.
We looked earlier at the 21 primary reasons people find Facebook appealing. Here are some of the primary attractors that cause problems.
- It appeals to the human nature “info junkie” in all of us. Let’s face it: snoops snoop. Once they find tunnels down the rabbit hole, it is difficult to stop exploring. Feeding our naturally voyeuristic tendencies is tantalizing.
- Facebook is an ego forum. People seek affirmations of life and self. Facebook feeds this on a platter.
- Familial contact. Until a better vehicle surfaces to better enable us to stay in touch with those we love, it’s easier to use it than not use it.
- Facebook feeds the need for human connection. We can troll for affirmations, which is important. The tool makes it easier than ever to establish and maintain affirmation connections. There are a lot of hurt people out there — Lord knows, too many — so having an accessible infrastructure of connecting contacts makes us feel good.
- Facebook feeds Abraham Maslow’s third and fourth levels in his hierarchy of needs. Being loved and respected are normal human pursuits. Belonging, love, and affection are all things people will pursue. Facebook is a channel to do so.
- Socializing plus gaming make Facebook the casinos of connection. The construction of Facebook is no accident. It is modeled after the same principles casinos use to seduce gamblers. Hence the gaming extension.
- Boredom busting. People today read less and rely less on accumulating wisdom than previous generations. Facebook lets us immediately immerse in a multi-faceted chat world. As long as it seems free and people ignore its indirect behavioral cost, people will use it.
- The “I am not alone” need for companionship. Too many people are lonely. Facebook lets us believe we have comfort in camaraderie.
Any one of these could create a tantalizing lure we need to feed. Blend several together and it is easy to see why so many are intertwined by the site’s seductive construction.
END of Part 3
next . . . part 4 of 4: Quitting Facebook & The Withdrawal Experience