I had a MasterMind meeting the other day and this question came up, “What’s one activity you wish you could do every day and one thing you could dump, delay, or delegate to make time for that one activity?”
One of my colleagues answered that she wanted to get back into exercising. She has a video she used to watch and exercise by daily, but alas one little “devil” now seemed to interfere with that activity. The one thing she said she would dump in order to make time for exercise? It was time on Facebook!
Yes, that wonderful social network that many now have a love/hate relationship with.
As I sat down to write this post, I came across this infographic posted on Mashable’s site. Research shows that the average person spends over 12 hours a day in front of a screen. OMG!
Take a look and see what you think. Each day, the number of hours spent online using a laptop went from 3 hours in 2010, to slightly more than 5 hours in 2013. Granted, that time isn’t only on social media, but notice that the breakdown shows social media as the #1 activity we’re doing online.
I have to admit, I think I have become slightly “addicted” (though not enough for a 12-step program) as it seems I spend more time on it than I did a year ago. To me, it has its merits and there are times it has definitely been a blessing (see this post about my dog Ike and how Facebook helped me when he passed on). Other times, like my colleague who wants to exercise, I find it’s an activity I can certainly delay in order to enjoy more time away from the computer.
So are you addicted to the screen? Is Facebook (or another social network) a blessing or a curse in your life? Please share you comments below. I’d love to hear from you.
