A new study by University of Maryland shows that students are addicted to social media and even likening the issue with drug and alcohol addictions. And if they do not receive their daily dosage of social media, students will start to show withdrawal symptoms such as cravings, anxiousness, extremely antsy, miserable, jitteriness and craziness.

It was found that most college students are not just unwilling, but also unable to function without access to their media links to the world. This was a result of abstinence from their laptops, iPhones, Blackberry devices and related Internet connecting paraphernalia for 24 hours.

After the experiment, the 200 students involved in it were asked to blog on private class websites about their experiences; at the same time reporting their successes and failures. As a result, the 200 students wrote more than 110,000 words; about the same as a 400-page novel.

40.9% of the students who responded to the survey reported that they were first-year students, 40.9% reported that they were sophomores, 11% reported that they were juniors, and 7.1% reported that they were seniors or beyond. Most students reported their ages as between 18-21; the average class age was 19.5.

“The students did complain about how boring it was go anywhere and do anything without being plugged into music on their MP3 players,” said Moeller. “And many commented that it was almost impossible to avoid the TVs on in the background at all times in their friends’ rooms. But what they spoke about in the strongest terms was how their lack of access to text messaging, phone calling, instant messaging, email and Facebook, meant that they couldn’t connect with friends who lived close by, much less those far away.”

Susan D. Moeller, an associate journalism professor at the University of Maryland and the director of the International Center for Media and the Public Agenda, said researchers were surprised by the students’ feedbacks when they blogged about their experience after the period of abstinence from social media.

“Texting and IM-ing my friends gives me a constant feeling of comfort,” wrote one student. “When I did not have those two luxuries, I felt quite alone and secluded from my life. Although I go to a school with thousands of students, the fact that I was not able to communicate with anyone via technology was almost unbearable.”

From what we see here, the students’ lives are wired together in such ways that opting out of that communication pattern would be tantamount to renouncing a social life. Do you think that you can spend a day without connecting to any media platforms successfully? I know I can’t; and I’m a student too. Do share with us this mini-experiment with us!

The Net Generation Are Huge Fans Of Blogs

The millennials are young adults described as the first group to have come of age in a highly Internet-connected world. Also known as the Net Generation, their year of birth falls around 1985 to 1992, they are expected to be able to use the computer to access the Web and other technologies to communicate and learn.

A recent report done by BlogHer and iVillage, co-sponsored by Ketchum and Nielsen, shows that they millennials are the most likely group to take advantage of those abilities through blogging.

Through the research, it was found that millennials represents nearly half; about 40.4% of the Internet user bases, when it comes to writing blogs. On the other hand, the combination of Generation X and Y (26-42 years old) and Boomers (43-61 years old) only makes up 46.8% of the pie while Seniors (62-76 years old) making up the rest of the 12.8%. It was found that respondents between the age of 18 to 24 blogs about twice the rate of an average person.

However, the millennials are not that big on reading blogs though. The share of readership amongst Millennials only makes up about 30.3% while Generation X and Y coming close at 29.3%.

On top of that report, bloggers of all ages too were polled for the reason behind their blogs. An overwhelming 81.6% stated that it was for self-expression and 80.6% stated that it was for fun. One-half of bloggers wanted to give advice, and fewer than one-third hoped to earn money with their efforts.

_________________________________________________

• Popular Posts

  • HOW TO: Add Facebook ‘Like’ Widget Plugin On Your Site
  • 5 Of The Most Socially Responsible Companies
  • Infographic: Apple vs. Google vs. Microsoft
  • The Net Generation Are Huge Fans Of Blogs
  • 5 Issues With Facebook Pages That Frustrates Me