We don't know if it has been classified as an addiction by psychiatric professionals, but even if it hasn't, it's clear that many Americans at various stages of life and professional accomplishment have a very difficult time staying away from their favorite social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook.
According to a new Gadgetology study by Retrevo, 61 percent of social media users under 25 connect to Facebook at least once a day, every day. Eighteen percent of these are unable to go more than a couple of hours at a time without checking Facebook. Finally, 48 percent will get up from sleeping and update their Facebook and/or Twitter pages.
Social media users over 25 are not much better. Fifty-five percent of these individuals check Facebook daily and 11 percent are unable to go more than a couple of hours to see what's going on. Sixteen percent look at Twitter and/or Facebook to get their morning news.
Discussion Questions: What are the ramifications of the numbers from the Retrevo study for the social media efforts of retailers and brand marketers? Do the numbers of people who are seemingly obsessed with social media have any implications for the types of communications or their timing from businesses on these sites?