NOTICE
WIFI
Photo Illustration | Dalton Gomez
Photo Illustration Dalton Gomez Screen addiction: Are students' psychologically dependent on social media sites like Facebook and Twitter? Recent studies show that users can go through media withdrawal symptoms.
You use it in the classroom, in the car, at the dinner table, at the bedside and even on the toilet. Social media is everywhere - perhaps most prevalently in the way of homework and paying attention in lecture.
As I write this very story, I find myself surrendering to the "ding" of my cell phone that urges me to check frivolous e-mails, text messages or posts on Facebook as though I'd do anything to halt productivity.
Since the birth of social networking in 2004 with Facebook, social media has exploded in popularity. Websites such as Twitter, Flickr and Tumblr have since joined Facebook in making social media, arguably, the greatest Internet phenomenon ever.
As a great tool for both procrastinating and communicating, researchers have drawn a line between harmless use and harmful abuse, cautioning the potential of social media addiction.
Last April, the International Center for Media and the Public Agenda (ICMPA) at the University of Maryland released a study suggesting college students are addicted to social media. The 200 students participating went without all forms of media for 24 consecutive hours and showed symptoms similar to alcohol and drug withdrawals.
The notion that college students psychologically depend on social networking stirs debate among psychologists and students alike.
Are we getting the best of the Internet or is it getting the best of us?
Supporting the study's findings, Dr. Gregg Jantz, certified chemical dependency counselor, says college students' heavy use of social media cannot only lead to addiction, but also harm academic performance and relationships. "[Social media use] creates unreal relationships and a sense of self-importance," Jantz says. "We turn to social media in times that we want to feel validated instead of turning to real relationships."
An avid user of social media, Megan Do, Wichita senior, doesn't use Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr to feel "validated," but rather to stay connected with people.
Do says social media could be addictive for users who lack self-control or time-management skills, but, knowing the benefits of social media, she says she hates to see it get a bad reputation. "I'm always learning new things from the interesting people I've met through social media with the links, videos and articles they share." Do says. "Social media has brought me closer to the people I know
because we're able to learn more about each other."
Not ready to part completely with the benefits of social media, many users resort to temporarily deactivating their accounts or putting a friend in control of their passwords.
To better fill the void of an anti-procrastination tool, software developers created the programs "Anti-Social" ($15) and "Freedom" ($10) in June 2010 that block social network websites for a given time period.
In need of a social media intervention, Jason Charney, Overland Park junior, bought "Freedom" last fall. Like many college students, he would impulsively open up Facebook or Twitter instead of the work he intended to do. Charney says he isn't addicted, but that he wanted to better control his habit of social media wandering. "I've deactivated my Facebook for a week at a time before, but it's such a vital communication tool that it's hard to just go without it," Charney says. "To have something that blocks those sites for however long I need helps me structure my work time, so I'm a lot more productive."
That very lack of structure is a common theme in the lives of college students. Dr. Kimberly Young, director of the Center for
Internet Addiction Recovery, says unstructured time causes a lot of addiction problems. She tells her patients, completely addicted or just distracted, to use productivity software to help stay in control.
Young challenges the notion that anyone is addicted to social media. She says if it's truly a matter of addiction, the user usually has other vices, too, not just social media. "It is not just one thing a person becomes addicted to and it is not just going from procrastination to harmful addiction," Young said. "I think the main element is when it becomes a problem—when that use of the Internet is hurting a relationship, academic performance, relationships with friends, ability to stay engaged in social activities and on campus. Then it means that it is too much."
HOW TO PREVENT A SOCIAL MEDIA ADDICTION:
- Focus on use. Use only the networks most relevant to your life and work.
- Schedule. Set aside time that you'll get on social networking sites and don't leave Facebook or Twitter tabs open on your web browser.
- Downsize. It's easy to let friend requests and followers get out of hand. Try limiting them to only those you're really connected to, either through friendship or shared interests.
- Lists and Filters. Facebook and Twitter have options that allow you to group people however you want, limiting the content you would otherwise have to sift through.
- Stop using. If you've tried the above tips and social media still seems to do more harm than good, then get rid of it. E-mail and telephone calls aren't outdated yet, so people who need to get a hold of you still can.
lay
Kansan writers win Hearst
Former staff members of The Kansan receive honors for their work on feature articles.
INDEX
Classifieds. 11A
Crossword. 4A
Cryptoquips. 4A
Opinion. 5A
Sports. 12A
Sudoku. 4A
HEALTH
Watkins prepared to treat flu symptoms
BY IAN CUMMINGS icummings@kansan.com
Patricia Denning, chief of staff at Watkins Memorial Health Center, has a message for students who are feeling sick with symptoms of the flu: she and her staff are there to help, but they aren't handing out doctor's notes for getting out of class. Denning said such notes were not necessary unless the student missed three days of class.
Student Health Services' policy is that students can request documentation when two conditions have been met. One is that the student was treated at Watkins or has documentation of treatment elsewhere. The second condition is that he or she has been absent from school for three or more consecutive days because of illness or injury.
Megan Hardy, a junior from Manhattan, made an appointment at Watkins to be examined for strep throat. Hardy said the staff provided her with a record of her appointment, which she delivered to her employer the next day.
"Sometimes we feel like we have appointments scheduled, not for medical reasons, but for documentation." Denning said.
Marta Caminero-Santangelo, chair of the English department, said her department follows the guidelines of the Office of the Provost. She said faculty has been advised against requiring doctor's notes since last year's arrival of the H1N1 virus.
"They just printed it out," Hardy said. "And everything was fine."
WATKINS MEMORIAL HEALTH CENTER
To make an appointment:
785-864-9507
To ask questions, call:
Monday-Friday
8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
785-864-9583
Weekends 785-864-9500
Barbara Romzek, interim vice provost for academic affairs, sent a memo to university staff advising them to accommodate students missing class because of illness. The memo also said that faculty were not obligated to excuse students from class.
Denning said the flu arrived on campus Feb. 1, far later and less severe than usual.
Denning said students reporting to Watkins with flu symptoms would not necessarily be tested for influenza or be prescribed medication. She said the health center had been distributing relatively little Tamiflu, the preferred prescription drug for influenza.
"What we've seen looks quite mild." Denning said.
Treatment is available for those requiring it, but the medical staff at Watkins is
SEE FLU ON PAGE 3A
TECHNOLOGY
Software developer creates new apps for regular phones
BY IAN CUMMINGS icummings@kansan.com
For those students who don't have a smartphone yet, don't worry
- there's an app for that. Some software developers are in the business of making apps for regular cellular phones.
David Valdiviezo, a sophomore from Mission Hills, likes Apple products but still carries a simple cellular phone.
"It's a lot cheaper," he said. "The plans for iPhones are too expensive. They're cool, but it's not worth the money."
Valdiviezo isn't alone. In March 2010, the Nielsen Company showed that up to 79 percent of U.S. consumers weren't using smartphones — phones that run third-party software such as apps and use the most advanced operating systems. Simpler models are known as feature phones. The Nielsen study projected that in 2011 the number of smartphones in use would equal and then surpass that of feature phones.
But that doesn't mean feature phone users don't have access to mobile Internet. App makers are designing their software to operate on all types of phones. Facebook, for example, just released an app free of data charges for feature phones, specifically for overseas markets.
Facebook worked with software developer Snaptu on its latest overseas app. Snaptu offers apps for Facebook, Twitter, Picasa and others that depend on Java software.
Paul Naphtali, a spokesperson for the company, said Snaptu apps
SEE PHONES ON PAGE 3A