Addiction is everywhere...from alcoholism to cigarettes. But, what about addiction to Facebook?
It's a common habit, where young adults from the age of 18 to 24 plug into technology to see what the rest of the world is doing.
"I'm on Facebook and Twitter everyday like first thing when I
wake up and especially when I'm supposed to be studying for finals I'm on
Twitter…it's addicting," said Denise Marindilla, a freshman at Angelina College.
Most people say they use social media websites to deal with boredom. But, licensed professional counselor Deborah Burton says the habit can lead to dependency.
"It's sometimes hard to tell the difference between boredom
and the need to know or the addictive quality to it and I think you're…people
want to be doing something all the time and it's always there. It's always
available. And I think people develop habits," said Dr. Deborah Burton, a licensed professional conselor at the Counseling Center of East Texas.
Nearly 50 percent of the population checks Facebook before they even roll out of bed in the morning.
"That's a big problem that a lot of the younger generation
has is not being able to have face time to talk to…it's easier to send a
message and say hey what have you been doing?" said Alicia Wilkerson, a freshman at Angelina College.
Studies show that 32 percent of college students will even take their phones into the bathroom to log into Facebook.
Dr. Burton says this is all because of our constant need to know.
"We have it at our fingertips now so it's hard to resist.
You know you hear the old adage curiosity killed the cat…but it's just a need
to know what's going on today…what's happening," Dr. Burton said.
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