Jessica Bauer

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   An addiction is an addiction; whether it is drugs, drinking or a social media site, addictions can be harmful and problematic to daily living.  Junior Vanessa Morman openly admits to having a fixation on social media sites.
   The second Morman’s alarm clock goes off every morning, her hands search for her cell phone to check for messages or updates from social media sites.
   "I have a Twitter, an Instagram and a Facebook," Morman said. "I like to know what's going on in other people’s lives, and social media sites can help me do that."
    Morman can use these social media sites on different types of technology she owns. She feels the need to be connected to her media sites at all times, and her Smart Phone aids this need.
    "A majority of the time I just use my iPhone," Morman said. "But if I'm not using that, I can use my computer and I also have internet on my Wii and I can access Twitter and Facebook from there."
    Morman realized her addiction after going from checking her Facebook maybe once or twice a day to losing hours of sleep; often times she stayed up in the later hours of the night to check her social media sites.
    "If I don't have my phone on me I get really moody," Morman said. "I like to be able to know what's always going on, and social media sites always allow me to do
that."
    Morman enjoys using her social media sites and is on them a majority of her day; when she arrives to school she can already begin to feel her digital withdrawal within the first two classes. According to Phillip Chan of Teenage Tech Use, technology addiction is like any other addiction. Dopamine is sent through the brain and omits bursts of pleasure when using technology.
    "Some people need to have their coffee in the morning," Morman said. "And I need to have my Facebook."
    Though Morman has an addiction to these sites, she thinks that a majority of society relies on them too much. According to Bill Goodwin of Computer Weekly, a recent survey showed that 60% of teenagers between the ages of 11 and 18 openly admitted to being addicted to the internet. Also, 50% of teens admitted to being addicted to their cell phones.
    "Social media sites are a leisure," Morman said. "I don't know what it is about them that makes them so addicting, but they are."
    Morman does realize she has a problem and wants to eventually rid herself of it, she knows with determination and encouragement she can look toward a brighter future where she will no longer have a dependency on social media sites.
    "I'm going to start attempting to distance myself from social media sites," Morman said. "I enjoy keeping in touch with friends and family but I would like to not have to depend on them any longer, I feel like there is more to life than keeping my face buried in my Smart Phone."