I ask myself how many times a day I check some source of social media... And, I really cannot even make a prediction. I check it when I am bored, when I am sick of doing whatever I am currently doing, when I wake up, and when I go to bed. I check it when I am waiting to be seated at a restaurant and when I am sitting at a stop light.
The funny part about me checking the latest Twitter feed is it is habitual, and I do not even get some great enjoyment out of doing it. I check Instagram because I feel the need to know what my neighbor is eating for lunch. Twitter is a must because without it, god forbid, I would not know if there was something funny said at some girl's dinner table.
Steven Goldstein, in his article "Stop Checking Social Media and Read This Article," treats the relationship between social media and us as an addiction. He makes the claim that it "uncontrollable," and we all just think it is normal, not seeing that it is a "problem."
Goldstein then asked some PR professionals how many times a day they checked some form of social media. Answers spanned from "religiously" to "obscenely often." In other words, PR professionals are always linked to a social media site, even just having an open window.
Now, while I may not be a big fan of social media because it takes so much time, I definitely struggle to say no to it.
I just love knowing what some girl from high school got on her economics test.