Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Social Networking: Time to Go Cold Turkey?


Okay, I’m certain that this is not the first article on this subject and no I haven’t searched to find out. The thought just popped into my head the other day.

Quickly, I documented several of the bullet points below and the rest flowed in piece meal.

And lo and behold, an article just came out regarding a study on social media addiction, spurring me on!

And some of you know that sometimes I make light of things. We all need to cut loose from time to time, right?

Therefore, I present to you my list of criteria with tell-tale signs that a social networking addiction is taking hold. The list is not complete by any means. If anything, it’s meant to give you a chuckle. It’s likely we’re all guilty of at least one or two of the items cited here. If you identify with at least ten of them, call a doctor or a social media specialist. Please.

You know you’re addicted to social networking when you:


Share silly kitten photos without even thinking about it.







Inform your friends about every airport meal you’re having.

Think the terms “facebooking” and “friending” are verbs.

Post and/or tweet five times in four minutes.

Refer to people on Google+ as “plusers” or “plussers”.

Are so busy posting that there's no time to respond to comments on your own posts.





The 47 inch TV in your living room is usually dark.













Have YouTube always queued up.




Get excited when you see a white number inside a red rectangle.








Learn the latest gossip about your childhood friends via Facebook.

Program your tweets so you can spend more time on other social networks.

Are already on Pinterest.








Watched the Super Bowl with a beer on the left, buffalo wings on the right, and a laptop in the middle.








Have Firefox and Chrome both in full swing with your multiple Twitter and Facebook accounts open.

Someone makes a joke about “crackbook” and you think it’s funny.

Check your Facebook messages and notifications before your email.

So, how did you do? And what else would you add to this list?



John Lennon reminded us how painful withdrawal from an addiction can be with this moving song.





9 comments:

Anonymous said...

I had no computer at home for a week and did some creative projects. It was a nice break but, here I am again...on the computer. Sigh!

Shannon Grissom said...

Yep, the 47 " in the living room is usually dark :O) Loved this post Gerry!

Gerry Wendel said...

Refreshing, isn't it? Did you use a smartphone to check on social media or was it totally cold turkey?

Gerry Wendel said...

Mine gets some use but generally I'm multi-tasking!

Anonymous said...

Phone is not smart at all. It was cold turkey for evenings after work.

Gerry Wendel said...

Glad you made it through!

Unknown said...

So true! I was cold turkey for the 8 days we didn't have power, etc. I read 2 books, (not on the kindle!), actual books made of paper! Wrote out in a notebook (3 ringed) my blog posts! My TV is usually dark too, I watch my favorites on Hulu! Oh oh, I am addicted!!

Gerry Wendel said...

You could be Lisa! However, it sounds like you did just fine in withdrawal, so I would classify it more like a little habit.

Heather @ Stuffed Pepper said...

great post! i went to rural VA with no wifi and a not so great phone connection for 10 days. it was like vipassana! i thought the world was going to leave me behind! but it was still there when i checked back in. :)