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janrinok writes:
"Researchers from Norway have developed a new instrument to measure Facebook addiction, the Bergen Facebook Addiction Scale. This report is based on one first issued in 2012, but updated within the past few days.
'The use of Facebook has increased rapidly. We are dealing with a subdivision of Internet addiction connected to social media,' Doctor of Psychology Cecilie Schou Andreassen says about the study, which is the first of its kind worldwide.
Andreassen heads the research project “Facebook Addiction” at the University of Bergen (UiB). An article about the results has just been published in the renowned journal Psychological Reports. She has clear views as to why some people develop Facebook dependency.
"It occurs more regularly among younger than older users. We have also found that people who are anxious and socially insecure use Facebook more than those with lower scores on those traits, probably because those who are anxious find it easier to communicate via social media than face-to-face. People who are organized and more ambitious tend to be less at risk from Facebook addiction. They will often use social media as an integral part of work and networking. Our research also indicates that women are more at risk of developing Facebook addiction, probably due to the social nature of Facebook," Andreassen says.
The report also details 6 warning signs of Facebook addiction, which resemble those of drug, alcohol and chemical substance addiction."
(Score: 1) by Nerdfest on Sunday February 16 2014, @09:32PM
I can understand it. I quit FaceBook because of the addictive draw of in (for me), and I was planning on stopping SlashDot, from a combination of the quality drop of the site and the addictive nature. Damn you enablers.
(Score: 1) by mtrycz on Sunday February 16 2014, @09:51PM
While I did find Facebook increasingly distractive, the thing that made me quit was that, to my friends, i was *supposed* to have and curate an account, and I was *supossed* to be informed on what was going around by stalking people's accounts.
Too much peer-pressure to bare. People take it too seriously.
Anyway, that's not the best headline I've seen, I must admit.
In capitalist America, ads view YOU!
(Score: 3, Funny) by chromas on Sunday February 16 2014, @09:52PM
Opera, Slashdot and Michael Jackson have found a cure for addicted user—I mean audiences. It's called β. Unfortunately, studies show most Facebook users to be immune.
(Score: 1) by sgleysti on Sunday February 16 2014, @10:09PM
Man, IRC is addicting, I'll tell you what.
I've just set auto-login on xchat... one click to interesting conversations. I'll have to be careful.
(Score: 3, Informative) by ticho on Sunday February 16 2014, @09:36PM
(Score: 1) by Dopefish on Monday February 17 2014, @02:53AM
Thanks for the pointer, ticho. I went ahead and revised the title to avoid breaking the Betteridge law of headlines.
(Score: 1) by weeds on Monday February 17 2014, @03:22PM
According to Wikipedia - "Addiction is the continued repetition of a behavior despite adverse consequences" I don't see a list of adverse consequences.
According to the article, the warning signs are:
" You spend a lot of time thinking about Facebook or plan 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 had a negative impact on your job/studies."
Only one of the warning sings qualifies as addiction.
Get money out of politics! [mayday.us]
(Score: 4, Insightful) by Techwolf on Sunday February 16 2014, @10:08PM
I never had one to begin with. When I first heard about Facebook, checked it out and found out it required RL info, I said NO. And never look back. I always had a personal policy of keeping Internet info and personal info separate. That policy saved my ass a few times as some internet friends (now ex-) went loony big time, but never affected me due to they didn't have any personal info on me.
(Score: 2, Interesting) by ticho on Sunday February 16 2014, @10:22PM
I never had an account there either. When it was becoming popular, I looked at the concept and figured the craze over something that invasive should only last few months. Alas, the craze is still going quite strong, but I still fail to see the point in having an account. :)
(Score: 1) by Istaera on Monday February 17 2014, @07:31AM
The problem is other people. Real life friends who innocently decide to share information about me. That is the reason I got facebook; to monitor what was said.
I believe there's somebody out there watching us. Unfortunately, it's the government.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday February 20 2014, @11:25AM
This is probably a very real and scary problem. I just hate your "solution".
On the study summary "Andreassen's study shows that scoring of "often" or "very often" on at least four of the six items may suggest that you are addicted to Facebook." That's like saying if you drink one or more vodka bottles a week you might be addicted to alcohol. Not very conclusive. What was interesting on the other hand was the description of a likely addict.
(Score: 3, Informative) by deimios on Monday February 17 2014, @09:09AM
Oh you most certainly have a facebook profile. You just don't have access to it. http://www.digitaltrends.com/social-media/what-exa ctly-is-a-facebook-shadow-profile [digitaltrends.com]
(Score: 1) by internetguy on Monday February 17 2014, @08:26AM
Anything can be an addition if you're willing to pay for "therapy". Facebook is nothing more than a communication service (which wiretaps your conversations). I never heard of anyone addicted to: Telephone, Snail mail, or Email mail. I love using Facebook for communicating with my network of friends. Before the Internet you have to have a telephone tree if you wanted to get mass information out to a group of people? Do you remember telephone trees?
Sig: I must be new here.