Social Media Disorder Scale yes = 1 and no = 0

1. During the past year, have you regularly found that you can’t think of anything else but the moment that you will be able to use social media again? No

2. During the past year, have you regularly felt dissatisfied because you wanted to spend more time on social media? No
3. During the past year, have you often felt bad when you could not use social media? No
4. During the past year, have you tried to spend less time on social media, but failed? No
5. During the past year, have you regularly had no interest in hobbies or other activities because you would rather use social media? No
6. During the past year, have you regularly had arguments with others because of your social media use? No
7. During the past year, have you regularly lied to your parents or friends about the amount of time you spend on social media? No
8. During the past year, have you often used social media so you didn’t have to think about unpleasant things? No
9. During the past year, have you had serious conflict with your parents, brother(s) or sister(s) because of your social media use? No

Total: 1/9

I grew up alongside the internet, mobile phones, and technology. In my youth when AOL instant messenger was all the rage and I would spend hours after school either chatting with friends or waiting for them to get online. Admittedly I was obsessed when myspace because it allowed me to see a glimpse into my friends lives and see if I was part of it or not. As I’ve gotten older and my responsibilities have shifted, I realize how little social media actually improves my life. There has been no significant gain from my use of it; if anything, it has a negative impact. These days I use it mostly for news or recent events. The scale itself seemed more geared towards addiction level social media consumption for youths, likely teenagers. I think that cultural differences and maturity levels provide the different patterns across the world. Additionally, technology levels or access to the internet will obviously play a part with the differences.