MojoCMO: Awesome article on Social Media - is it a new addiction? | Retrevo Gadgetology

Is Social Media a New Addiction?
Original Post: http://www.retrevo.com/content/blog/2010/03/social-media-new-addiction%3F

What is it about social media that causes people to spend so much of their precious time trading information with friends, family and even giant corporations? Of course, we already know the answer; it’s fun and can be rewarding both socially and financially. The latest Retrevo Gadgetologystudy asked social media users questions such as when, where, and how much time they spend on sites and services like FaceBook and Twitter. We were not surprised to learn how many people appear to be, shall we say, obsessed with checking in with their social media circles throughout the day and even the night.

Social Media All Through the Night

Not only do social media fanatics check Facebook and Twitter throughout the
day, almost half of the respondents said they check in on the social media scene in bed, during the night or as soon as they wake up in the morning. Naturally, younger social media users said they tweet by night more than
those over 25.

Will Twitter Kill the Morning News Shows?

Among social media users, it appears almost half are so involved with FaceBook and Twitter that they check in the first thing in the morning. With 16% of social media users saying this is how they get their morning “news,” could we be witnessing the first signs of social media services beginning to replace "Good Morning America" as the source for what's going on in the world? Can they also provide more stimulation than a morning cup of coffee?

Are iPhone Owners More Social?

You have to agree, iPhone owners do think different. We don’t know if it’s the device making it so easy to do social media things or the personality of an iPhone owner but iPhone owners stand out in this study as more involved with social media; they use FaceBook and Twitter more often and in more places.

Social Media Anonymous
Need more evidence that social media can be habit forming? How about the fact that 56% of social media users need to check FaceBook at least once a day? Even more impressive are the 12% who check in every couple of hours.

We Interrupt This Dinner for an Important Message
Just to round out the picture, the Gadgetology study asked consumers how they felt about being interrupted at various times and occasions for an electronic message. With everyone texting away on their phones these days, we weren't surprised to see over 40% of respondents saying they didn't mind being interrupted for a message. Infact, 32% said a meal was not off limits while 7% said they'd even check out a message during an intimate moment.

Conclusion

We're not qualified to declare a societal, social media crisis but when almost half of social media users say they check FaceBook or Twitter sometime during the night or when they first wake up, you have to wonder if these people aren't suffering from some sort of addiction to social media. From this study, it also appears that social media may have begun to replace more conventional sources for news with many social media users saying tweets trump TVs for that morning cup of news.

By Andrew Eisner, Retrevo's Director of Community & Content