Social Media Equivalent to Drugs.

A new study conducted by the University of Maryland has found that many students are hooked on social media and cellphones are similar to the addictions associated with drugs and alcohol. Many student described the withdrawals from these sites in terms similar to those used by drug and alcohol addicts.
The study from the International Center for Media and the Public Agenda, "24 Hours: Unplugged," asked 200 students on the campus to give up all media for a full day and blog on private Web sites about their experience. Student reaction showed addiction like withdrawal symptoms such as anxiety, misery, and being jittery. For these students these social sites were an extension of them and admitted that they addicted to media.
Zack Whittaker, a blogger for ZDNet, called the research methodology "pretty rock solid" but takes issue with the way the results have been interpreted by the researchers. Mr. Whittaker said in a blog post that he felt that today "the term 'addiction' is bandied around without thought or conviction.
"I defend to the highest possible level that today's youth are not addicted to social media and networking, the Web, and online media," Mr. Whittaker wrote. "We do spend far more time on Facebook and accessing the Web for leisure use and socializing, but that is part of the natural progression of tertiary, non compulsory education socialization."
This article is interesting because new media such as social networking sites are being associated as being a drug and addictive. However, just as the government presents laws against drugs its usage, one can conclude that with the new ACTA laws the government is similarly trying to restrict the usage of the new media.