Are You Addicted to Social Media?

You've just opened your eyes on a Saturday morning, you reach over to your smart phone and open up Facebook. Once you've checked up on what you missed during the seven hours you managed to sleep, you check on Twitter - all before you've moved out of bed.

Do you spend hours a day liking, tweeting, commenting and browsing Social Media sites? Well you may just be addicted to Social Media.

It seems like Social Media sites like Twitter and Facebook have a noble goal of connecting us with friends, family and people with similar interests - however, the urge to share can easily become compulsive.

Here are some signs that you might be taking Social Media a bit too far and it's crossed the line into addiction!

Do you feel self conscious, alone or not good enough when you don't get enough likes, tweets or comments?

Many of us use Social Media as a way to reinforce a desperate need to feel good enough. The more likes/tweets/comments/etc we receive, the better we feel about ourselves.

Do you crave the feedback you get from sharing your life through Social Media? Do you refresh your page often to see how many new "likes" you have? Do you make decisions only by first consulting your Social Media followers? You're not alone.

Sharing your thoughts and getting feedback from a large group of people through Social Media can be ego-boosting, validating and encouraging - but what happens when we don't get that feedback?

Do you tweet at the dinner table?
Can your friends and family only get in touch with you via Facebook?
Is the only way your friends get to see you through your instagram pics?
Do you update your status while on a romantic date?

Some of us spend far too much time in the Social Media world and forget to live in the real world. Developing an unhealthy obsession with Social Media can be a real issue - it might be heaven for your ego, but it's not for those around you.

Think about the number of social media streams you're connected to and how much you post. Think also about what you're posting.

Now ask yourself the question - are you sharing or over sharing?

Think about whether your followers would really care about the spider that you found behind the door or that you're at the grocery store. Are you sharing things that are meaningful, interesting, insightful or of any value? If not, you might want to consider turning down the volume of your posting - your followers would probably even like it more that you're not flooding their streams with your constant updates.

Remember - quality over quantity!

Are your real-life relationships floundering because you're too busy fostering your online ones?

Social Media was first designed to keep us connected with our real friends and family. Remember that it's still important to have "real life relationships" and not just those that exist in the online world.

Does work, projects, errands or time with friends get overlooked by Social Media? Are you too busy tweeting, pinning, posting , tagging and updating your status to do anything else? This is a big red flag and a definite sign that you are addicted to Social Media.

Social Media is there to enhance our lives, not to take them over. The key is to find a balance between real life and the Social Media world. It's easy to become antisocial and less present in the real world whilst working to be highly social in the Social Media world.

Consider taking a day off or only using Social Media at certain times and setting boundaries. Time away from the Social Media world will help you to connect more in your real life and you may even find inspiration for better quality sharing once you get back on.