Social media now more addictive than smoking

Kenya: Habit is second to nature. What we do often actually becomes a natural part of us with time. The desire to text frequently, tweet, Facebook and access social media networking sites is now higher than that of the wish to take alcohol or smoke a cigarette.

One of the most important means of communication for young people today is instant messaging. Social media services offer us an opportunity to exchange a wide range of information and these sites are now more addictive than ever.

With the increase of social media subscribers, the internet has now become an essential feature of the so called ‘global communication’.

The world is ever changing due to the advancement in the field of science and technology. The presence of technology is noticeable everywhere. Most people will praise the many technological gadgets that they use in their everyday lives. Many of us depend on it to get us through the day, to do our job, to get around, and to research on certain issues. Technology is evolving at a very fast rate, and what most people did not even think could be real a few years ago, is now becoming a reality.

Social media has greatly affected many aspects of our lives. Communication has been made easier nowadays, with a mobile phone for instance, one can communicate with another person in another corner of the world at ease with a click of a button. If we were to be disconnected from the social media for a day, some of us who are addicted to it might just fall sick. It is not surprising that a majority of politicians have opened social media accounts to sell their ideas and popularize their parties in Kenya.

 Today the internet continues to grow day by day at an incredible speed. Currently, about 40.4% of the world’s population has access to the internet. Over the last century, developments in telecommunication have made possible new communication modalities that blend both spoken and written language. In the current era of digital technology, social media gives us a new dimension on the way we think about communication.

It is good to acknowledge the fact that social media help us get information about what is happening in the world around us. From the recent floods in Nairobi to the attempted coup in Burundi, we get informed of what is trending and therefore shape our lives. Marketing companies use it to advertise their products and brands through their pages and hence reach a wider target population.

Relationships incognito are created and broken through social media sites. Gone are the days when love letters were the order of the day, the nature of building relationships has moved from the antique approach to the ‘digital’ one.

As long as the sites are used in moderation, the merits of social media seem to outweigh the demerits. We now have people being employed to manage social media sites of different nature. We can argue therefore that social media is now part of us, we cannot do without it.