According to a study widely publicised around the world, students are addicted to social media and suffer emotional and physical distress when deprived of their 'drug'. The study looked at students across 12 universities in 10 countries, including the US, China and the UK. When taken away from social media and gadgets for 24 hours words such as fretful, confused, anxious, irritable, insecure, nervous, restless, crazy, addicted, panicked, jealous, angry, lonely, dependent, depressed, jittery and paranoid were used to describe the feelings. Students described the need to be digitally connected, even with people who were physically close by.
Of course this is in a long line of FaceBook and internet media scare stories: here are some earlier headlines from the Daily Telegraph:"Facebook generation suffer information withdrawal syndrome" (02 Jan 2011); 'Internet is a threat to our brain' (15 Sep 2010); Computers could be fuelling obesity crisis, says Baroness Susan Greenfield (13 May 2009); Schools 'should be the cure to children's Facebook addiction' (16 Oct 2010); Students brains 'rewired' by web (11 Feb 2010); Rehab clinic for child web addicts (18 Mar 2010).
While we're on the subject, a study released last week from Oxford University showed that children who play computer games rather than reading achieve significantly less in life: fewer go to university or get top jobs, the study says. This particular study is based on over 30 years of tracking studies and finds that reading (books) seems to be the key to intellectual and social development.
O(∩_∩)O~
ReplyDeletefor social media: too many choices, too much information, too much time, too personal :p