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7 Signs You May Be A Social Media Addict
There is nothing like social media to make people feel connected. However, that feeling can some times overwhelm people. Social Media Addiction (SMA) is a real concern. Please understand as a former counselor and social worker I have seen the impact that addiction can have.
If you find yourself with several of the following conditions you may be suffering from this affliction.
1. You have more “friends” than the population of Tyre, NY.
2. You find yourself calling family member by their @Name.
3. You start using extra consonants everywhere (ie. Digg, Sphinn, Mixx, etc.)
4. You find that you limit all your sentences to 140 characters.
5. You know all the words to Numa Numa and know all the dance moves from How to Dance Properly by Ze Frank.
6. You tell everyone you have a Mac even if you are a PC.
7. You have nightmares that involve whales, mob wars, or being buried.
If you find yourself addicted, the first step is to admit it. The second step is to realize you are not alone. Some well respected and suspected addicts include Chris Brogan, Jeremiah Owyang, Robert Scoble, Mitch Joel, Joseph Jaffe, Valeria Maltoni, C.C. Chapman and Linda Bustos. I think I may be getting dangerously close myself. Be social and make sure to friend these folks so you don’t have to face your addiction alone.
About the author
Bryan Eisenberg is the co-author of New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestselling books Call to Action, Waiting For Your Cat to Bark and Always Be Testing. Bryan is available as a professional speaker. You can friend him on Facebook or follow him on Twitter (@TheGrok).
More articles from Bryan Eisenberg
- Nobody wants to read your sh**!September 21st, 2009
- Redesign? Ask The Right Questions!September 18th, 2009
- Cross-post: How to Improve a Product Page, Part 1September 15th, 2009
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October 18th, 2008
12:46 pm
Even people trying to help us have been affected!
The Social Media Addiction Anonymous acronym is: SMAA
October 18th, 2008
1:52 pm
Guilty of #2 in comment posts and email signatures.
October 18th, 2008
2:01 pm
Hi, my name is Brian, and I’m a socialmediaholic.
:-\
It all started when I was eight years old, and I always got picked last for teams in gym class…
October 18th, 2008
5:48 pm
That was good. I really enjoyed reading it. I especially liked the part of people lying about what they use to fit in w/ the “mac” crowd. PC’s have been keeping it real for me since the 90’s. Why switch!?
Looking forward to more bloggeries from you.
October 18th, 2008
5:48 pm
P.S Being the social media addict that I am I saw this through a retweet from @briancarter
October 18th, 2008
5:51 pm
Guilty! Great list. I can relate to most of those.
October 18th, 2008
5:58 pm
Lol I enjoyed reading your list! I have to agree with some of the “symptoms” you mentioned. I’m afraid I do suffer from SMA, but it’s only bad when it cones to grammar. Mind if I expand on your list?
October 18th, 2008
5:59 pm
I meant comes to grammar not cones. Silly iPhone corrections.
October 18th, 2008
8:45 pm
Now that I have a smart phone, it’s time to lock me up
October 19th, 2008
12:14 am
I don’t know what you’re talking about.
October 19th, 2008
4:35 am
#8, Everything you think or do gets run through a filter of, “would this make an interesting tweet?”
October 19th, 2008
9:30 am
sorry I missed this sooner, I was busy on Twitter
Hello, my name is Mitch Joel… and I am a social media addict (in the best possible way).
October 19th, 2008
10:23 am
I always introduce myself to new friends with my WoW nickname, that’s easier when you meet in WoW. Why would anyone need my real name anyway?
October 19th, 2008
4:48 pm
[...] futuro dovremmo organizzare un testamento virtuale. Intanto qualcuno scrive sette prove che sei un drogato di Social Media. Quella sui MAC è [...]
October 19th, 2008
5:47 pm
I am a PC guy and I am ready to go down swinging… I just can’t admit the addiction though… not yet… I haven’t hit rock bottom…
October 19th, 2008
8:22 pm
Yup, I too am addicted. I wonder if I have an addictive personality.. Bryan — have you built this into your website personas for clients?
October 20th, 2008
7:13 am
oh… and you forgot saying LOL instead of actually laughing, which I did once. I still remember the puzzled faces
)
October 20th, 2008
10:43 am
Love this one Brian. Entertaining and hits most of us where it hurts. I am a Mac trapped in a PC world.
October 20th, 2008
11:23 am
You’re def an addict if you know who the 8 other addicts just mentioned..are, it’s not like they’re household names. but to some of us, they are!
October 20th, 2008
4:58 pm
I dunno…. I think I just need a counselor I can lie on a couch and tweet about myself to…..
October 20th, 2008
5:46 pm
@Marc Meyer SO TRUE! I hadn’t even thought of that lol. I do like @benjphoto’s idea of lying on a couch and tweeting as therapy… whole new concept!
October 20th, 2008
5:55 pm
My last therapist fired me because I was twittering while she was talking to me.
October 22nd, 2008
10:15 pm
Do I look addicted to you? Tomorrow you will analyze this
(You’ll understand when the post goes up.)
I had missed your link, and am smiling at the truly playful list. Thank you for injecting some humor in an otherwise serious problem. I was fortunate enough to get to spend some time with Ze at the MIMA Summit recently. He’s wicked smart. And for the record, I have two Macs.
October 22nd, 2008
10:42 pm
[...] http://www.grokdotcom.com/2008/10/18/social-media-addict/ [...]
October 29th, 2008
12:40 am
It’s not often I read a post that makes me laugh out loud. This is satire at its best.
November 1st, 2008
12:22 pm
[...] 7 Signs You May Be A Social Media Addict by FurtherNow in care of a tweet by [...]
November 5th, 2008
1:56 pm
Funny! Jaffe gives SM addiction a bad name IMHO though
November 9th, 2008
2:13 pm
[...] Social Media Addiction: 7 Signs of Addiction | FutureNow’s GrokDotCom / Marketing Optimization Blog Social Media Addiction: 7 Signs of Addiction | FutureNow’s GrokDotCom / Marketing Optimization… [...]
April 14th, 2009
2:06 pm
I surely am a media addict. But also like cruising in my old bmw:) haha.
May 14th, 2009
8:51 am
And who says its wrong to be addicted to social media anyways? =) It’s a trend that should die off in a couple years anyway. It’s nearly run it’s course.
October 26th, 2009
11:02 am
Present I ask my friends,
Are You Tweeting yet?