Not tonight, dear, I’m hanging out with my “friends.”
Psychology researchers at the University of Bergen in Norway have developed the Bergen Facebook Addiction Scale, a new tool for assessing whether a person has developed a Facebook dependency. Mark Zuckerburg is probably twiddling his fingers while saying, “exceeeeeellent” to himself right now. The researchers also outline the types of people who tend to develop this dependency.
The researchers found that the typical Facebook “addict” tended to be younger, more anxious, and socially insecure. They explain that, for people who are more anxious, communicating via social media may be easier than doing so face-to-face. The research also indicated that women are more likely to develop the addiction than men, possibly due to the social nature of Facebook. Facebook dependency also seems to be related to extraversion, or the quality of individuals who get more meaning and satisfaction from their relationships with others than from within, even though they may prefer pursuing those interactions from behind a screen.
The researchers noted that the symptoms of Facebook addiction resemble those of drug and alcohol addiction and other chemical substance abuse.
Ready to test to see if you’re addicted to Facebook?
Respond to the following questions with (1) Very rarely, (2) Rarely, (3) Sometimes, (4) Often, and (5) Very Often:
You spend a lot of time thinking about Facebook or planning the use of Facebook.
You feel an urge to use Facebook more and more.
You use Facebook in order to forget about personal problems.
You have tried to cut down on the use of Facebook without success.
You become restless or troubled if you are prohibited from using Facebook.
You use Facebook so much that it has a negative impact on your job/studies.
The Bergen Facebook Addiction Scale says if you answered “often” or “very often” to four or more of the above, you’re likely addicted to Facebook.
We’re going to also throw in, for good measure, that if you’re interrupting your brunch to throw some more crops down on Smurfville, you may want to consider yourself an addict as well.
