Not Possible to be Addicted to Digital Media- It Is Used for Comfort and Convenience

According to the American Psychological Association, addiction is defined as: "a condition in which the body must have a drug to avoid physical and psychological withdrawal symptoms." Under these pretenses, I do not believe it is possible to be addicted to media. There is an increase in the presence of technology in classrooms and other areas. Because of this increased presence, and the convenience of technology, it may seem like people are dependent on technology to complete certain tasks. It is easy for people to label this increased usage of technology as an addiction, but it does not fall into that category according to the true definition of addiction. However, technology does pose a potential threat to real social interaction. Because of the many social media outlets that are widely available, face-to-face interaction can potentially become a secondary tool of communication. Because it is so easy for people to send quick instant messages, people often forget the importance of face-to-face communication.

As it pertains to my own usage of digital media, I tend to rely on digital media to relieve my boredom. I have social media accounts, but I value face-to-face conversation. That is why I prefer to call someone and speaking to them on the phone, rather than texting them. Nowadays, it is very common to see people taking notes on their laptops during lectures. I myself am not a big fan of this trend; I understand the convenience of this, but I prefer to take notes the old fashion way: with a pen and paper. I see too many instances where people on their laptops are distracted by other things, which is why I prefer to leave my laptop at home and take notes the traditional way. I would like to see professor utilize a program I had in high school, which restricted what websites students could visit during class time. This would limit distractions and make sure students are using their laptops for the right purpose. Because people who are not doing the right thing in class can potentially affect other students' ability to concentrate.