SOCIAL MEDIA ADDICTION

Presented by: Louisa Liedtke Gillian MacInerney Jenna Simard

March 7, 2013

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Executive Summary3 Literature Review...4 Research Questions11 Methodology...12 Design.12 Sample....12 Measures.....13 Results and Data Analysis.15 Limitations and Future Research.20 Conclusions and Recommendations.22 References...24 Appendices......27

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Internet and social media addiction are two new rising terms in the medical and psychological world, with very little knowledge and research available about them. This is because the Internet, and more specifically social media, have only been around for a very limited amount of time, yet the amount of time we use them today is insurmountable; it is unfathomable to live without them in both our business and personal lives. The people most affected and seemingly most drawn to using the Internet excessively and spending most of their time on social media sitesincluding Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Linkedin, and Google+are millennials. Millennials are defined as individuals between the ages of 18 and 29 years old. They are most familiar with the uses of these technologies as they have been raised using it on an almost daily basis. The following study explores the influences of Internet use and the possible addictions among millennials to both the Internet and social media using a convenient sample survey. The group sampled came from a large southern Christian university, with a relatively small and predominantly female sample, most of whom shared very similar declared majors. The results were that females were most likely to use more or the majority of their time online on social media sites, but that there was no significant difference between males and females when it came to overall Internet usage. Furthermore, the amount of time both males and females used the Internet on a daily basis was fairly high, and almost all participants were involved in some sort of social media, specifically Facebook. More research is necessary to determine if possessing various personality traits and possible social and mental disorders could affect ones vulnerability to becoming addicted to the Internet and/or social media.

LITERATURE REVIEW
Introduction: The role of social media Social networking sites, also known as SNS, are predominantly used for social purposes (Kuss & Griffiths, 2011). Almost all Internet users say that one of their primary purposes for going online is for communication. Today, people use it to socialize with people they know and to expand their circle of friends. Social media provides a platform for users to connect and interact with one another and mutual friends (Correa, Hinsley and Zuniga, 2010). In a survey conducted by the Pew Research Center, 67% of all Internet users network on social media sites (Duggan & Brenner, 2013). Facebook is the most popular site on the Internet. Over 800 million people use Facebook and 225 million use Twitter. People spend 700 billion minutes each month using Facebook and, to date, have uploaded more than 100 billion photos to the site (Dill, 2013). How millennials use social media The predominant social networking users are young adults, also referred to as millennials (Correa, Hinsley and Zuniga, 2010). According to an article in the Diplomatic Courier, 75% of millennials (people aged 18-29) use social networking platforms. The percentage is likely due to Generation Ys expressive nature and members willingness to expressive themselves publicly, through social media (Kraus, 2012). The Pew Research Center reports that 67% of the population use social networking sites. Of that percentage, adults aged 18-29 compose the majority of users on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Tumblr. Users on Pinterest are mostly under the age of 50 (Duggan & Brenner, 2013). In a 2012 report, Mintel reported that half of all adults aged 18-34 enjoy posting photos and multimedia content to social networks, not just those who are active users. Millennials were

twice as likely as seniors to use Facebook daily. In 2012, about one in five millennials used Twitter on a daily basis. The youngest millennials, age 18-24, were even more likely to use social media. About three in four 18-24 year olds checked in to social networks daily. Nine in ten of them used Facebook, while one in three used blogs and photo or video sharing sites. Millennials were also more likely to have more friends on their social media sites than older users. In a survey of 2,000 users aged 18+, respondents 18-24 reported a mean of 306 friends on their main network and respondents aged 25-24 reported a mean of 211 (Hulkower, 2012). In February 2013, The Pew Research Center also published a report on the demographics of social media usage. Pew reports that 83% of Internet users aged 18-29 use social media. Of Internet users age 18-29, 86% use Facebook, 28% use Instagram, 27% use Twitter, 19% use Pinterest and 13% use Tumblr (Duggan & Brenner, 2013). Thompson and Lougheed (2012) report that college students spend approximately two hours a day on their social network sites. Social media use and gender Research suggests that women are more likely than men to use social networks. According to the Pew Research Center, 71% of female Internet users use social media, while 62% of men use social media. Women are more likely to use Facebook (72% female Internet users; 6% male Internet users), Pinterest (25% female Internet users; 5% male Internet users), and Instagram (16% female Internet users; 10% male Internet users). Men and women are equally likely to use Tumblr, with 6% of both male and female Internet users present on the network. Twitter, on the other hand, attracts slightly more male than female users (17% male Internet users; 15% female Internet users) (Duggan & Brenner, 2013).

Women are also more engaged than men. The majority of women use Facebook daily 32% more than men. Women enjoy posting multimedia content to networks more than men and are more likely to be invited to make new connections or to send friend requests (Hulkower, 2012). Women tend to use social networking sites more for keeping in touch with current friends, communicating with peer group members, entertainment, and passing time; while men tend to use it for meeting new friends, social compensation, learning, and social identity gratification. Males are generally more likely to become addicted to SNS games, which make them more prone to SNS addiction (Kuss & Griffiths, 2011). Social media use and personality differences In a study to determine the relationship between personality and social media usage, scholars focused on three dimensions of the Big Five model: extraversion, emotional stability and openness to experience. The study concluded that people who are more extraverted use social media more frequently. Secondly, it concluded that people who are more anxious and worrisome are more likely to be heavy users. Thirdly, it concluded that people who are more open to new experiences are more likely to use social media; thus, people who use social media are more likely to be innovative and creative. These results also differed by gender. For men, extraversion and emotional instability were stronger predictors of social media use. For women, extraversion and openness to experience were stronger predictors. For millennials, extraversion was the only personality trait related to social media use. Overall, among the three personality dimensions, extraversion was the strongest predictor of social media use. The study suggests that extraverted people may tend to engage in social

networking because it allows them to openly communicate with people online (Correa, Hinsley and Zuniga, 2010). According to a Psychology Today article, social media reflects users real personality. The article suggests that Facebook reflects more about personality than a persons ideal personality. In a study of emotional experience on Facebook, German researchers discovered that people who lurk on Facebook or more likely to envy other users. Lurkers who passively observe other users lives on Facebook without liking their photos and statuses are more likely to be envious than users who actively participate on the site. Typically, lurkers tend to envy others for their travel and leisure experiences, social interactions and overall happiness. Their passive following correlates to lower life satisfaction, while active participation correlates to higher life satisfaction (Dill, 2013). Gender differences and addiction Women have evolved over the years with better communication skills. They can more quickly pick up on emotional social cues, and use language for the basis of all of their relationships. However face-to-face communication and emotional indicators are not available through the Internet, and this causes stress, which could lead women to spend more time online and become addicted. In a written survey experiment using a convenience sample of 268 college students, 76% were freshman, 53.3% were women, approximately 19.23 years old, and men were approximately 18.94 years old, and 76.5% were white. The results stated that men reported more minutes on the Internet weekly, but there was not a significant difference by gender. Of the participants, 94% had Facebook, and there was no significant difference by gender. Females however spent more of their Internet time on Facebook than men (61.7% > 44.0%.) Averagely, the participants had about 587 Facebook friends, with no significant difference amongst genders.

However, there was a significant difference in the amount of time looking at others profiles amongst men and women, with men looking only about 10 min of their Facebook time, and women looking for 24 minutes. Women were also classified as heavier Facebook users than men (light being less than 60 min a day), as 61.6% of men were classified as light, while only 38.4% of them heavy, while women were 47.55% light users, and 52.45% heavy users. Women have been found to be on social media more (62% of the internet time, while men are only 44%). On the survey questions, women had a much higher strongly agree response to the following questions: sometimes feel addicted, helps express emotions, Facebook is part of everyday activity, feel out of touch without Facebook, are frequently on Facebook longer than they intended, Facebook helps them feel closer to friends, pictures and posts can create negative feelings on self body image, often lose sleep due to Facebook usage, Facebook usage creates stress, feeling anxious without Facebook, wish for no need to need Facebook, and that Facebook energizes them (Thompson & Lougheed, 2012). Personality differences and social media addiction People with high self esteem and extraverted personalities tend to have larger social networks, and use them for social enhancement, while introverts tend to have smaller groups of online friends and use social networking sites (SNS) to compensate for their lack of real-world social activity. Extraverts tend to use SNS more frequently in terms and are usually involved in more groups, while introverts tend to use Facebook to disclose personal information, which can benefit those who are shy and cannot disclose such details to those around them without the use of media. One cannot simply be abstinent from all social media, as it is a key part of our employment and culture. Instead, they must learn to use SNS accounts with more control.Narcissists are much more prone to addiction, as their varying levels of esteem make

them much more vulnerable to the need for acceptance through media. It is possible to have two behavioral addictions, such as being a workaholic and being SNS addicted, but it is unlikely. It is however likely and possible to become addicted to SNS as well as drugs or alcohol, as they display many of the same addiction tendencies and behaviors. These include mood modification, salience, tolerance, withdrawal symptoms, conflict, and relapse. In 2007, an online survey found that 40% of the sample was an average user of the Internet, 52% over users, and 8% Internet addicts. Those found to be Internet addicts were seen to have low extraversion, high amounts of hours spent in online activities, support from Internet social networks, neuroticism, social anxiety, and emotional loneliness. Having a neurotic personality is a high indicator of possible Internet addiction, specifically on social media. High levels of perceived support from online social networks predict the degree of excessive Internet use. Over-users tended to be younger and less experienced in computer use than the average and addicted users. However, more research is necessary for the role of personality in social media addiction. (Hardie & Tee, 2007) The controversy about social media addiction The term social media addiction is relatively new. There is a scarce amount of research on social media as an addiction. Thus, scholars differ in opinion as to whether or not people can become addicted to social media. Addiction is a compulsion, which causes severe trauma to a persons life. Some scholars say that overuse of social media does not define an addiction. People may be nonchalantly using the term because it is a popular topic. Today, social media has become the predominant form of communication among younger generations; it may simply be replacing other forms of communication. In a 2011 article from South University, psychologist

Mark Fabbri says that interaction on social networking sites is not a negative thing (Donley, 2011). On the other hand, a 2012 study at the University of Chicago concluded that social media may be more addictive that cigarettes and alcohol. The study suggests that desires to use social media may be harder to resist because social media is highly available and engagement does not seem harmful (Flacy, 2012). The study found that receiving a notification, such as when someone retweets his or her messages on Twitter, induces a burst of dopamine. Conversely, a lack of interaction or endorsement causes anxiety and jealousy (Bennett, 2013). Social media addiction is now a recognized term in the United Kingdom. According to Reuters, psychiatrists say that looking at Facebook or Twitter more than 10 times a day may be a sign of addiction. If usage exceeds five hours a day, signs are especially alarming. Psychiatrists in London treat 100 social media addicts a year who have neglected even basic self-care because of their social media habits (Bennett, 2013). A Mashable infographic states that, in 2013, the United States will recognize Internet Addiction Disorder as a real disorder in the DSM-V (Franceschi-Bicchierai, 2012). According to an article in the Washington Post, anxiety drives some social media users to want to give up the habit, but they delay deleting their accounts because they are afraid of missing out on something. The article states that some users try to leave their social media accounts, bu anxiety leads many quitters to return to social media within 24 hours. Larry Rosen, author of iDisorder, believes that excessive social media usage is not an addiction, but rather an obsession because people use social media to reduce anxiety, not to gain pleasure (Boyle, 2012).

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RESEARCH QUESTIONS
Social media addiction is a relatively new term, which researchers have only begun to investigate in the past decade. Researchers have studied many aspects of social media consumption, addiction, and culture. The major themes amongst the research is the amount of time spent on social media, what platforms are used most frequently, and if gender or personality affect the amount of social media and Internet consumed. These questions were addressed in our literature review, above. In order to add to the information surrounding the impact of social media on the target audience, this study further investigates the following research questions: 1. How active is the sample on various social media websites? 2. How much time (in minutes) does a typical millennial consumer spend using various types of media on both weekdays and weekends? 3. Do gender differences exist in the amount of social media consumption? 4. Do gender differences exist in the amount of Internet addiction? Based upon research designed to examine various factors of social media use, the following study focuses on the above questions among the sample. These questions were the foundation for the 100-item survey using Qualtrics online software. 142 strategic communications majors took the survey online. Of the respondents, 55 were male and 87 were female. The respondents then abstained from social media for two days and answered open-ended, follow up questions. The survey questions focused on social media addiction, social media efficacy, information overload, social media privacy, media consumption, and social media fatigue. By gathering data from this demographic concerning these topics, we were also able to analyze the data to answer our own research questions.

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METHODOLOGY
Design This research was conducted using a two-part study design with student participants from a major university in the Southwestern region of the United States. First, participants were asked to complete a 100-item online questionnaire developed using Qualtrics web-based software. Following completion of the questionnaire, participants were then asked to abstain from all social media use for any two consecutive days they chose from the next seven days. At the end of their abstention, participants were prompted to explain their experience via ten open-ended questions. In addition to data regarding social media addiction and abstention, the researchers collected demographic and psychographic data from all participants. Data was collected over a one-month period between November 15th and December 15th, 2012. Sample Study participants were undergraduate students who were enrolled in a variety of courses at a major university in the Southwestern region of the United States, including digital media, advertising, public relations and communication sciences. Students were informed that participation in the study was completely voluntary and were offered extra credit for completing the survey. In total, the survey was distributed to 200 undergraduate students. Of those 200 students, 142 completed the survey for a 71% response rate. 142 respondents completed the survey instrument and the abstention exercise, 38.7% males and 61.3% females.i The respondents ages ranged from 18-33, with 99.3% of respondents indicating they were between the ages of 18-25.

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Measures The questionnaire consists of several major sections that assess: (1) level of Internet addiction, (2) social media addiction, (3) information overload, (4) social media fatigue, (5) self-efficacy, (6) media consumption, and (7) privacy concerns in social media. Level of Internet addiction. Level of Internet addiction was gauged by administering 20 questions from a 5-point Likert-type scale. The scale measured the frequency in which the Internet interfered with respondents daily lives and impacted them physically and emotionally. Questions included How often do you find you stay online longer than intended?; How often does your job performance or productivity suffer because of the Internet?; and How often do you try to cut down the amount of time you spend online and fail? Social media addiction. The study measured social media addiction using a 5-point Likert-type scale. Respondents answered 18 questions about the extent to which social media impacts their daily lives. Questions included: How often have you spent more time on social media than initially intended?; How often have you used social media in order to forget about personal problems?; and How often have you come irritable if you have been prohibited from using social media? Information overload. Questions gauged the extent to which the sample feels overloaded by information. Respondents answered 6 nominal-scale true or false questions about information overload on social media sites. Statements included: I am likely to receive too much information when searching for something on social media sites; The amount of information on social media sites makes me feel tense and overwhelmed; and When searching for information on social media sites, I frequently just give up because there is too much to deal with

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Social media fatigue. Social media fatigue among the sample was gauged with a 5-point Likert scale, measuring respondents agreement to 5 statements. Statements included I am likely to receive too much information when I am searching for something on social media sites; I am frequently overwhelmed by the amount of information available on social media sites; and I find that social media sites do not have enough detail to quickly find the information I am looking for. Self-efficacy. The study measured the samples self-efficacy by measuring how confident respondents feel using social media. Self-efficacy was gauged with 3 questions from a 7-point scale assessing respondents beliefs about their social media skills. Media consumption. Respondents reported the extent to which they consume media by choosing how many minutes they spend each weekday and weekend day and which forms of various media. 15 ratio-level questions asked respondents to report how many minutes they spend using each form of media during the week; the same questions asked respondents to report how many minutes they spend using media during the weekend. The survey also employed a nominal scale to ask whether or not respondents are active on popular social media sites, including Facebook, Google+, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Twitter, and miscellaneous sites. Privacy concerns in social media. Privacy concerns in social media were gauged via 4 nominal-scale true-false questions. Respondents reported whether or not they felt the statements were true, including: I am concerned about my privacy on social networks and I am confident that my privacy settings keep my information on social media private.

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RESULTS AND DATA ANALYSIS

How active is the sample on various social media websites? Of the 142 respondents, 135 use Facebook, with a percentage of 95.8%, while only 4.2% do not. Twitter is the second most-used social medium, with 73.2% of respondents using it. 60.6% use Instagram, 55.6% use Pinterest, and 54.9% use LinkedIn. Over half of respondents reported using the all of the included social media sites, with the exception of Google+. 28.2% of the sample use Google+. 14.1% also report using other social media accounts, including blogs, Flickr, Reddit, Skype, SoundCloud, StumbleUpon, Tumblr and Wordpress. See Figure A, below.

Figure A

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How much time (in minutes) does a typical millennial consumer spend using various types of media on both weekdays and weekends? Of the 142 respondents surveyed, 29 stated that they used social media for 60 minutes a day making the mode 20.4%. The minutes of social media used daily ranged from 0-2000. The mean recorded was 134.84 minutes with a standard deviation of 236.156. See Figure B, below.

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Figure B

Do gender differences exist in the amount of social media consumption? Of the 142 respondents surveyed, 55 were male and 87 were female. The results suggests that females use nearly social media nearly twice as much as males. The female respondents used social media for an average of 167.15 minutes per day. The males answered that they used social media for an average of 83.73 minutes per day. There was a standard deviation of 288.258 for the minutes of social media used by the females. The standard deviation for males was 94.581 minutes. See Figure C, below.

Figure C

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Do gender differences exist in levels of Internet addiction? The study does not determine a significant difference in the levels of Internet addiction between males and females. The Internet addiction index for males was determined to be an average of 28.62 (SD = 11.61). The Internet addiction index for females was determined to be an average of 28.30 (SD = 12.12). See Figure D, below.

Figure D

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LIMITATIONS AND FUTURE RESEARCH

Limitations Due to the nature of the sample, the study provided limited scope of social media usage across the millennial population. Respondents were taken from a convenient sample of primarily female, Strategic Communication students at TCU, a private Christian university. Therefore, the respondents may be more likely to use social media because of their accessibility to social media, their academic focus on communications, and/or the community-oriented TCU culture. This sample is not representative to all millennial social media users. Also, because 61.3% of respondents were female, the study may not accurately report the differences in millennials use of various platforms. The demographics vary for each social media platform. Females may be more likely to use media like Instagram and Pinterest, while males are more likely to use Twitter; thus the frequency of use across these media may be skewed. Collecting data from a more even ratio of males to females would better gage the frequency of social media usage. Future recommendations To further investigate possible indicators of social media addiction, possible research may include observation of personality differences and their effect on social media consumption. Previous literature suggests that certain personality traits impact users susceptibility to consume social media and become addicted. Literature also stated that heavy social media usage could lead to personality disorders. The following questions may guide scholars into further study: 1. Do personality differences exist in the amount of social media consumption? 2. Do personality differences exist in levels of social media addiction? Because literature suggests that extraversion, depression, and anxiety are related to social media addiction, possible survey items include questions gauging the degree to which the sample is

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introverted or extraverted and anxious. For example, researchers may administer a semantic scale question in which respondents report the degree to which they are introverted or extraverted. To address anxiety, the survey may ask respondents to report the frequency in which they feel anxious on a 5-point Likert-type scale. To investigate whether or not a correlation exists between specific social disorders and social media usage, a possible question might ask respondents to state whether or not they have been treated for a social disorder and to check all items which describe the disorder, including ADHD, OCD, depression, social anxiety, multiple-personality disorder, bulimia, anorexia, bipolar disorder and psychosis. Other possible questions to ask concerning personality include investigation of whether or not social esteem impacts social media usage. Respondents may be asked to rate their level of social esteem on a 5-point Likert scale.

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CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

The research above displays multiple things. First, that in the surveyed sample, over 95% of the 142 surveyed use Facebook, 73.2% use Twitter, 60.6% use Instagram, 55.6% use Pinterest, and 54.9% use LinkedIn. Of this sample, the average amount of time spent on social media sites is 134.8 minutes per day. Of this sample, 87 of the 142 were female, and their social media usage averaged 167.15 minutes per day. Of the 55 males of the 142 people surveyed, they averaged 83.73 minutes per day. There was no significant difference amongst males and females regarding Internet Addiction. These numbers are very high for such a small sample, but this could be skewed, as the sample was predominantly female, and focused on students of very similar majors from one southern Christian university. As seen above in both the literature review and the data analysis, millennials, especially those between the ages of 18-24 years old, are at a very high risk of addiction, not only to the Internet, but particularly social media. Amongst the previous research analyzed and that conducted above, more than 75% of millennials use social networking sites (Diplomatic Courier), and in a smaller sample, 95.8% of them use Facebook (Bright.) These are astoundingly large numbers, and it correlates with the statement that millennials are two times more likely to use Facebook daily than seniors. While these numbers are high, the amount of females that use social media with greater frequency than males is also prominent. As stated above, 71% of female Internet users use social media, while only 62% of male Internet users use social media. 72% of these female Internet users use Facebook, while only 6% of the male Internet users use Facebook. This is a large difference. The rapid increase of social media usage, particularly that of millennials on sites including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Linked-In, and Google plus, is concerning.

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Clearly, there is a possible indication of the growing amount of undiagnosed social media addiction, specifically amongst millennials. While more research is needed to confirm this, as well as more attention from a medical and psychological standpoint in order to recognize Internet and social media addiction as legitimate disorders, we believe that the consequences on millennials could be significant. While those more likely to use social media excessively may be more extraverted, the possible addiction to social media could severely interfere with a persons future; be it in their business, social, or personal life. We believe that the already high amount of millennials using social media is alarming, and the amount that is female is even higher. More research should be conducted to learn more about what specific characteristics or personality traits of a person make them more susceptible to social media addiction.

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REFERENCES
Bennett, I. (2013, Feb 11). Social Media - The New Addiction. Reuters. Retrieved from http://www.reuters.com/video/2013/02/17/social-media-the-new-addiction?videoId=241041887

Boyle, K. (2012, Dec 28). Think Youre Giving Up Social Media? Think Again. The Washington Post. Retrieved from http://articles.washingtonpost.com/2012-1228/lifestyle/36071109_1_social-media-bergen-facebook-addiction-scale-facebook-and-twitter

Correa, T., Hinsley, A., & de Ziga, H. (2010). Who interacts on the Web?: The intersection of users personality and social media use. Computers In Human Behavior, 26(2), 247-253. doi:10.1016/j.chb.2009.09.003

Dill, K. (2013, Feb 2). Facebook: Lurking, Like and Life Satisfaction. Psychology Today. Retrieved from http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/how-fantasy-becomesreality/201302/facebook-lurking-liking-and-life-satisfaction

Dokupil, Tony. (2012, July 16). Is the Onslaught Making Us Crazy?. Newsweek, Vol. 160 (Issue 3). EBSCO. Retrieved from http://ehis.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.tcu.edu/ehost/detail?sid=eee0cd11-91bd-4462a40dca10e61d3ad8%40sessionmgr13&vid=6&hid=5&bdata=JkF1dGhUeXBlPWNvb2tpZSxpc Cx1aWQmc2l0ZT1laG9zdC1saXZlJnNjb3BlPXNpdGU%3d#db=ulh&AN=77654828

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Donley, M. (2011, Feb 4). Does Social Media Addiction Really Exist? South Source. Retrieved from http://source.southuniversity.edu/does-social-media-addiction-really-exist-31795.aspx

Duggan, M., & Brenner, J. (2013). The Demographics of Social Media Users 2012. Pew Internet. Retrieved from http://pewinternet.org/Reports/2013/Social-media-users.aspx Flacy, M. (2012, Feb 4). Study: Is Facebook More Addictive Than Alcohol or Cigarettes? Digital Trends. Retrieved from http://www.digitaltrends.com/social-media/study-is-facebookmore-addictive-than-alcohol-or-cigarettes/

Franceschi-Bicchierai, L. (2012, Nov 2). How is Facebook Affecting Our Minds? Mashable. [Video file]. Retrieved from http://mashable.com/2012/11/03/facebook-addiction/

Hardie, E., & Tee, M. Y. (2007) Excessive Internet Use: The Role of Personality, Loneliness and Social Support Networks in Internet Addiction. Australian Journal of Emerging Technologies & Society, 5.

Hulkower, B. (2012). Social Networking US May 2012. Mintel. Retrieved from http://academic.mintel.com/display/590566/?highlight=true

Kraus, E. (2012). Millennials & Social Media. Diplomatic Courier, 6(5), 46-47.

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Kuss, D. J., & Griffiths, M. D. (2011). Online Social Networking and Addiction: A Review of the Psychological Literature. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 8. doi:10.3390/ijerph8093528. Retrieved from www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerph Luxton, David. (2012, February 1). Social Media and Suicide: A Public Health Perspective. Framing Health Matters, Vol. 102. Retrieved From http://www.scribd.com/doc/113186642/Social-Media-and-Suicide

PR Newswire (2012, March 28). Public Survey Conducted by the Center for Eating Disorders at Sheppard Pratt Reveals that Facebook Drains Body Image and Self-Esteem. PR Newswire US. Retrieved from http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/public-survey-conducted-by-thecenter-for-eating-disorders-at-sheppard-pratt-reveals-that-facebook-drains-body-image-andself-esteem-144601505.html

Thompson, S. H., & Lougheed, E. (2012). Frazzled by Facebook? An Exploratory Study of Gender Differences in Social Network Communication Among Undergraduate Men and Women. College Student Journal, 46.

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APPENDICES
Codebook Attached

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