曾几何时，宗教被视为大众的鸦片。“宗教是人民的鸦片(Religion is the opium of the people)”，卡尔·马克思(Karl Marx)说。欢迎来到(Welcome)Facebook、Twitter、LinkedIn、Instagram、SnapChat、TikTok等社交网站成为网民的新鸦片的新世界！
如果您早上醒来时想做的第一件事是登录您的Facebook帐户并查看您收到（或未收到）多少个Likes / Comments，那么请放心——您已经上瘾了！
今天不打算刮胡子？(Don’t plan to shave today?)你是否会在推特上告诉你 1000 多个不认识你的追随者，你今天不打算刮胡子？或者，当没有人转发您的特定状态时，它是否会给您带来轻微的抑郁……或者，当您转发 8 次推文时，您可能会感到兴奋！......也许你正在和你的朋友共进晚餐，你最终告诉你的推特粉丝酒店的氛围有多好，而不是与你的桌友分享；又或者，你正在旅行，你最关心的不是欣赏风景，而是拍张照片上传到你的Facebook帐户，这样你就可以在第二天查看你收到了多少“赞”。(Likes)
If all this is happening to you…then you are hooked, trust me!
阅读(Read)：服用数字排毒(Digital Detox)的好处。
互联网(Internet)和社交(Social)网站成瘾
最初出于分享的需要，Facebook和Twitter等社交网络网站发展迅猛。Facebook拥有超过 7 亿用户，显然处于领先地位。即使是它的创始人在他们最疯狂的梦想中也可能没有想到Facebook在未来会如此受欢迎。
始终连接到您最喜欢的社交网站已成为必须的。如果他们出于某种原因不得不断开连接，他们会感到不安全。对他们来说，保持联系就像通过脐带连接到子宫一样，断开连接或下线对他们来说是一个相当令人不安的想法。
世界上的一些地方，尤其是西方世界，将婚姻或家庭视为一个正在崩溃的机构，单身独处的情况并不少见。分享的需求是人类最基本的需求之一。如果不是这样，由于同伴群体的压力需要成为社交网络的一部分，只会使一个人成为这些网站的成员。
Tere is no denying, that the social web plays a very useful role in keeping people connected. From finding old friends, building new associations, promoting new ventures, using them as a marketing tool, causing upheavals in Egypt, recruitment, and more – they have a great value!
令人不安的趋势是，人们开始认为在社交网站上活跃就是社交，而事实远非如此。坐在电脑前，大多数 24/7，与“朋友”（他们可能不是他们看起来的样子）聊天确实会带走与现实生活中的人进行实际互动所需的社交技巧和优雅。除了安全(Security)和隐私(Privacy)问题之外，有些人倾向于与通常不应该与人分享的东西。
智能手机只会增加对社交网络的依赖。它们在家庭、工作和学校的影响太明显了！
阅读(Read)：服用数字排毒的好处。(Digital Detox.)
脸书成瘾
已经证明，Facebook成瘾会导致焦虑和抑郁，尤其是在年轻人中。据报道，2013 年，美国计划将网络成瘾标记为真正的疾病。(Internet Addiction)我们多久看到他们外出——玩耍或社交？或者我们是否看到他们更多地蹲在电脑前花时间创建良好的个人资料、发布状态更新或喂养想象中的奶牛？
Maybe the day won’t be far that we have several de-addiction or detox camps for Facebook & Twitter addicts!
我知道我的观点是少数派，但如果你认为你在Facebook(Facebook)、Twitter或任何其他社交网站上花费了太多时间并且过于重视，也许这一次，你想关掉你的电脑，保留你的家里的智能手机，出去走走想想。
Disconnect yourself from the net and go meet a real friend for change – and see how it feels! The idea is to strike a balance and get a real-life too!
另请阅读：(Also read:) 电击疗法可以治愈网络成瘾吗？
Internet and Social Networking Sites addiction
There was a time when religion was considered as the opium for the masses. “Religion is the opium of the people“, so said Karl Marx. Welcome to the new world where social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, SnapChat, TikTok, etc are now the new opium for the netizens!
If the first thing you want to do when you wake up in the morning, is to log in to your Facebook account and see how many Likes / Comments you have received (or not), then rest assured – you are hooked!
Don’t plan to shave today? Do you tweet about it and tell your 1000 odd followers who don’t know you, that you don’t plan to shave today? Or does it give you a mild depression when no one re-tweets a particular status of your’s … Or maybe you feel exhilarated when you get re-tweeted maybe 8 times! … Perhaps you are having dinner with your friends and you end up telling your Twitter followers how good the hotel ambiance is, rather than sharing it with your table companions; or then again, you are on a trip and your primary concern is not enjoying the scenery but taking out a picture and uploading it to your Facebook account, so that you can check up the next day how many ‘Likes’ you received.
If all this is happening to you…then you are hooked, trust me!
Read: Benefits of taking Digital Detox.
Internet & Social networking sites addiction
Riding initially on the need to share, social networking websites like Facebook and Twitter have grown phenomenally. With over 700 million users, Facebook is clearly leading the pack. Not even its founders in their wildest dreams may have imagined that Facebook would be so popular in times to come.
Being connected to your favorite social site at all times has become a must for such. And they feel insecure if they have to disconnect for some reason. For them, staying connected could well be compared to being connected to a womb via the umbilical cord, and disconnecting or going offline would be a rather disconcerting thought for them.
Some parts of the world, especially the western world, are seeing marriage or family as an institution crumbling and it is not uncommon to see singles staying all alone. And the need to share is one of the most basic of human needs. If it’s not this, the need to be a part of the social web due to peer group pressure, just makes one become members of these websites.
Tere is no denying, that the social web plays a very useful role in keeping people connected. From finding old friends, building new associations, promoting new ventures, using them as a marketing tool, causing upheavals in Egypt, recruitment, and more – they have a great value!
The disturbing trend is that people have started to think that being active on social networking sites is being social, whereas the truth is far from it. Sitting in front of computers, most 24/7, chatting with ‘friends’ (who may not be what they seem) does take away the social skills and graces which may be required to actually interact with real-life people. Security and Privacy concerns apart, some tend to share things with people who one normally should not.
And smartphones have only increased the dependency on social networks. Their effects at home, at work and at school are all too obvious!
Read: Benefits of taking a Digital Detox.
Facebook addiction
It has already been proven that Facebook addiction causes anxiety and depression, especially in youngsters. In 2013, the US plans to mark Internet Addiction as a real disorder, say reports. How often do we see them going out – playing or socializing? Or do we see them more often crouched in front of their computers spending time creating good profiles, publishing status updates, or feeding imaginary cows?
Maybe the day won’t be far that we have several de-addiction or detox camps for Facebook & Twitter addicts!
I am aware that mine is a minority view, but if you think you are spending too much time on and giving too much importance to Facebook, Twitter or any other social site, maybe for once, you want to shut off your computer, keep your smart phone at home, go take a walk and think about it.
Disconnect yourself from the net and go meet a real friend for change – and see how it feels! The idea is to strike a balance and get a real-life too!
Also read: Can Shock Therapy Cure Internet Addiction?
