This paper will examine whether the Internet based technologies collectively known as social networking exhibit characteristics that make them addictive. Specific examples of these technologies include well known sites such as Twitter, Facebook and Foursquare but can also be extended to include generic technologies based around material such as blogs. An important consideration to address at the outset is the negative connotation that is placed on the word “addiction”. In this case, any addiction to social networking should not immediately be equated to addiction of illicit and illegal drugs but rather to more benign items such as chocolate. In fact, there are many aspects of the modern world that could be considered “addictive” raising “some safety and social concerns” (Tilbury, 2008) but clearly concerns currently being raised in the public domain are that social networking is in fact as “addictive” as illicit substances. If the reader accepts these concerns then they are drawn to the conclusion that the end result of any social networking addiction will in fact be the same as drug addiction including problems with “health, finances and stability” (Saisan & Seagal & Cutter January 2009). Examining this issue in more detail will require further investigation and definition of exactly what addiction is and how it may be applied to social networking. Next, the key components of social networking will be examined in order to isolate any that may lead to addiction. Further analysis will then be conducted on these components to determine if there indeed is a direct link with addictive behavior. As with other types of addiction, factors such as predisposition may form an important consideration. Thus it will be established whether they do contribute in this instance. At the finale of all this analysis it will be concluded that, like other commonly accepted social practices, such as alcohol consumption, there is the potential for social networking to be addictive if individual control is not exercised. However, it is still too early to definitively prove a direct link with a specific medical disorder, and so, may instead be nothing more than normal human behavior being amplified by modern technology. Only further study will reveal a definitive answer, yet for the time being it should indeed be considered that social networking is addictive.
