Arguments for my position: The obsessive use of technology is causing rise in social networking addiction

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Argument #1: Excessive use of social media, such as video games, can isolate users and lead to loneliness or a form of addiction

Gamers spend more time on online gaming because of the social nature of these games.  It turns into an addiction when gaming becomes more important activity in the person’s life and dominates his or her thinking, feelings, and behavior (Feder & Rosenberg, 2014, p.65).

The mood swings or withdrawal symptoms that come when the gamers are disconnected from the game show loneliness and discontent of the gamer from surrounding. Everything around them without the game makes them unpleasant (Feder & Rosenberg, 2014, p.65).

Argument #2: Social networks are very widely used in today's world, increase use of social media as research shows leads to addiction

For something to be considered as addiction behavior it has to feature all six components of addiction which are "salience, mood modification, tolerance, withdrawal symptoms, conflicts, and relapse." Social networking addiction fulfills all six of these criteria and is considered an addiction according to Griffiths (Feder & Rosenberg, 2014, p.120-121).

Social Media Addiction research confirms that there are two types of people on social media, the once who are there to experience positive feedback and the once who want to be able to express themselves. The results show Social media addiction is real because both users are there to experience attention (Marengo, Poletti & Settanni, 2020, p.4)


Argument #3: Obsessive computer use can lead to mental health disorder

“After spending much of his childhood playing video games, Charlie Bracke realized that his constant gaming as an adult was out of control: He says he had flunked out of three colleges, lost a girlfriend and washed out as a real estate agent. Twice, recalls the 29-year-old from Redmond, Wash., he tried to quit gaming. Then, one day as he contemplated suicide, he says, his parents showed up unannounced and found him and his apartment a wreck… After more than a year in treatment, Bracke now has a full-time job as a Costco merchandiser and is studying accounting. He attends 12-step support groups, meets with a therapist and shares his story about battling technology addiction with others at reSTART.”(Ladika, 2018, p.343)



Sources
Feder, L. C., & Rosenberg, K. P. (Eds.). (2014). Behavioral addictions : Criteria, evidence, and treatment. Retrieved from https://ebookcentral.proquest.com

Marengo, D., Poletti, I., & Settanni, M. (February 2020). The interplay between neuroticism, extraversion, and social media addiction in young adult Facebook users: Testing the mediating role of online activity using objective data. Addictive Behaviors, 102:106150, N.PAG. https://doi-org.libproxy.adelphi.edu/10.1016/j.addbeh.2019.106150

Ladika, S. (2018, April 20). Technology addiction. CQ researcher,