Leave it to psychologists to label yet another behavior an “addiction” — short message service (SMS), also commonly known as text messaging (or just plain “texting”). But let’s back up a bit, because this is becoming commonplace with any new technology that seems to eat up people’s time and attention.
In modern times, we can trace the desire to call certain behaviors without drugs “addictions” to the rise and popularity of coin-operated and home video games in the 1970s and 1980s. Parents watch their children move from spending hours in front of the television to spending hours in front of a video game (or going to the video arcade to escape their parents’ watchful eye). The following pronouncements were not uncommon in the research literature at the time:
“It is suggested that the potential usefulness or harm of video games is still open to empirical validation; however, the potential for abuse is inherent” (Soper & Miller, 1983).
Inherent. Well, that’s such a generalization, it could be made about anything. The potential for abuse of the phone is inherent. The potential for abuse of one’s friendships is inherent. The potential for abuse of getting really into any hobby you enjoy is inherent. By definition, something we enjoy doing is usually not a problem, no matter how much you do it or how much other people think you’re crazy for doing it so much. Look at how much athletes work-out for instance. Are they addicted to working-out, or is it something that is rewarding to them (not only potentially financially, but intrinsically as well)?
In 1995, along came “Internet addiction disorder,” a term cooked up by researchers by taking the symptom list for “pathological gambling,” and changing the word “gambling” to “Internet use” and giving it to a self-selected sample of people who said, “Hey, I think I use the Internet too much.”
I could create a dozen new disorders tomorrow doing the exact same thing, but unfortunately it would be no more scientifically valid.
Since that time, of course, a lot more research has been conducted. But alternative hypotheses which could readily explain this behavior are rarely considered in this research, and no long-term studies have been done to see whether this is a problem related to the relative “newness” of the Internet as a technology (just as few researchers look for “video game addiction” or “television addiction” to join the diagnostic manual any longer, as people became acclimated to the technology and adapted to it for everyday use).
So here it is 100 years after the invention of the radio, 60 years after television became popular, and more than 30 years after video games hit the scene. Are any of these technologies — technologies where people spend many hours every day (depending upon the decade) glued to it — “addictions” today? Nope. Not a single one. As a society, we learned to cope with them, integrate them into our lives, and even though we may spend too much time with any given one at a time, basically recognize the value of life (and living it) beyond the radio station, TV screen, or video game.
Really, is SMS and texting an addiction, or just the latest technological fad that people obsess about for awhile? Ten years from now, it too will just be a blip on the screen of history.
Reference:
Soper, W. Barlow; Miller, Mark J. (1983). Junk-time junkies: An emerging addiction among students. School Counselor, 31(1), 40-43.
16 comments
For deaf people its the way we use a mobile, and actually be independent (save video calls, phones with IM).
Emergency services for deaf people at least in the UK have opened up SMS as a method of contacting the police, ambulance etc … and even car breakdown services
One has to ask the question, could mobile phone *voice* calls be an addiction? Somehow, I suspect not and sometimes there’s a certain stigma attached to particular methods of communication.
On a personal note, although SMS is the only way I am able to use a mobile phone, I don’t like it (only do so if I really have to). Prefer to send my message much faster, even if its via Skype or Twitter on the web.
It’s about time someone shown a light on this. I think we’ve been covering this up for far too long.
i agree with the fact that its just a blip in time. maybe everything we do alot can be considered an “addiction” and yes, i agree that as time goes on more and more and more technological advances are made more and more people will want to be involved with that technology.
as every new generation is introduced to a new piece of technology, they will be more attached to them than previous generations. take most adults with texting. they just arent used to it so they comunicate in different ways (like email) than the younger generation. just will we as the younger generation have a problem with comunicating in person because of this new lovely communication?
we could not say that texting is an addiction. Thee are many considerations to open up such as how many times the person done texting for a day, for an hour or even minute..perhaps texting is such an easiest for them to communicate and involve in the conversation.
people obssession on texting depends upon his behavior..it’s how he/she adjust himself to the technology.
“Really, is SMS and texting an addiction, or just the latest technological fad that people obsess about for awhile? Ten years from now, it too will just be a blip on the screen of history.”
Very much true, it will be just a blip. Like when pong came out, I’m sure there we addicts. But look at video games now. See too much pong anymore? The world is always changing.
Should a 14 yo steal a cell phone and in a two week period run up a bill in the neighborhood of $1,000.00 while texting be considered in your opinion an addiction? I have always thought that addiction was something that one does that disrupts their daily life and has an adverse affect on those around them. I would consider stealing for the phone to exercise their pleasure of texting along the same lines as stealing to get drugs to get high.
“Should a 14 yo steal a cell phone and in a two week period run up a bill in the neighborhood of $1,000.00 while texting be considered in your opinion an addiction? I have always thought that addiction was something that one does that disrupts their daily life and has an adverse affect on those around them. I would consider stealing for the phone to exercise their pleasure of texting along the same lines as stealing to get drugs to get high.”
No it is not right for that 14 year old. At the same time like the deaf person from the UK posted, deaf people need to text whether on a phone/mobile device, tty or computer to communicate! We can’t hear on the phone so have to use other ways.
-Another deaf person from USA
I have a foster son that spends all day every day doing texting. He got in trouble last week and I had to take his phone away. He said if I did that he would just start to shut down. He would probably stop eating, start sleeping all day, etc etc. He said this would happen because he’s been through it before when he didn’t have his phone. Those sound alot like withdrawal symptoms to me. He’s so ADDICTED to texting, that when he is unable to do it, his mind wants to shut off. That’s not healthy. He shouldn’t need a phone to keep his mind from shutting off. It’s completely retarded. Maybe he’s playing a game, who knows. But if it is real, that your article has little to no meaning for me as it doesn’t explain behavior like this.
Texting isn’t bad in itself. It’s when and where you use it that can make it look like an addiction.
I’m a college student, and whenever I’m in class, I can’t help but notice half of the other students are always toying with their cellphone and sending text messages under their desk numerous times. I’ve once seen desk neighbors play games on their cellphone as well. For some reason, I don’t think this is appropriate. If I was a teacher and knew that my students weren’t paying attention to my class, I would feel bad.
Another example, is at a movie or a play. It’s a dark room. I always notice alot of people looking at their cellphone. It’s noticable because a cellphone screen is like a flashlight, and it’s usually pointing upward, so you see a blue/white spot on the ceiling. If the room is built like an amphitheater, you can clearly see flashes of light in your eyes coming from bottom rows.
If you can’t refrain from texting with your cellphone during a play or a movie, or during class, there’s a problem I think.
If I understand his argument correctly, the author seems to dismiss the possibility that one can develop an addiction to texting because it is a transient fad. Illicit drugs also fall out of fashion with time, yet to suggest that those who abused them in their heyday were not addicted is utterly preposterous.
I have extensive dealings with individuals with texting addictions. Their behavior meets every criteria for addiction. Perhaps the author might want to study this phenomenon at the case level before making glib pronouncements in promulgation of his cute, if not especially prophetic social commentary.
Not only is it an addiction, but teens that are addicted follow all the addiction protocol,like a drug addiction which can lead to death. They become irritable, can’t concentrate on anything, get overwhelmed by the usual things they used to do, fight with friends and family, stay up all night, grades get affected. THEY CANNOT STOP ON THEIR OWN. Parents are unaware until its too late sometimes. Parents are not organized therefore unable to communicate and get united in the approach to stop it, or they are texting themselves. Don’t forget the car accidents resulting from texting as they drive. I might be forced to disconnect all machines from my home after placing restrictions on the amount of garbage this society has managed to use to destroy our culture even more.
im a 14 y o and i usually do a 6,900 to 7,000 texts per month. i dont think im addicted i still eat do homework and im a straight A student im a green belt in judo texting doesnt disrupt my life i still get sleep and i hang out with my friends its when i text two friends ALL day that runs it up the phone bill but i do realize im a LITTLE addicted and need to calm down but we have unlimited texting so why cant i text as much as i want? maybe im a little addicted but im still here and i dont go through emotional stress that much if my phone gets taken away fpr awhile when i get in trouble i think every teen gets a little sad cuz this is how i keep in touch with my friends…just saying…im not addicted
Let’s do the math on your abusage: we’ll go with your high number of 7000 texts divided by 30 days = 233/per day. If you are awake say, 15 hours out of any given day, that’s 15 messages per hour.
Can I ask you something? Are you aware of what you’re missing in your life (right in front of you) while you’ve got your head buried in your phone? What might be escaping your attention or notice while you’re busy carrying on that non-stop conversation?
When our hospital nurses cannot stay off of texting long enough to take care of patients and then complain because we do not allow the texting of messages or use of cell phones other than on breaks in their break rooms, I’d say there is an addiction in place.
Whether or not the technology is new has nothing to do with it–this IS an addiction and it is causing serious problems in many hospitals. I just read a “Yip” about El Camino Hospital in Mountain View where a husband and wife complained because the nurse caring for their newborn in the bili-baby NICU could not stay off of the text to take care of their son.
I might ask, by the way, how would you explain the hours and hours a day people spend sitting in front of a TV set? How about the internet? Wasted times, relationships and lives. You explain it in the general view of things–that as a society we will “get over it”. It is an addiction here and now whether or not it will be in 100 years is irrevelent.
As a professor at a mid-sized university, I find that students seem to be getting more obsessive about texting during class every semester. Several days ago, I was in a store and an employee who was supposed to be working stopped what she was doing about once every minute to send another text message. I see people driving and texting every day. It’s getting out of hand. Something needs to be done right now about this.
Although I agree with the author that we must be judicious in our use of the term “addiction” and that too many people nonchalantly proclaim someone they know is “addicted to _____ (insert technology)” just because they use that particular form of technology a great deal more than the average person, I also think that the author of this article falls too far on the opposite end of the spectrum by seemingly denying the possibility that people can be addicted to technology in the first place.
There are people who abuse technology to the point where other aspects of their life are impaired, and some of these people are unable to solve the problem on their own. I don’t think anyone can deny that. How serious are the ramifications? What should be the criteria for a diagnosis of addiction to a technology? How prevalent are these true cases of addiction (and not just family / friends speculating that their friend is addicted)? These are questions for future researchers.
However, whether or not you want to call it ‘addiction’ is meaningless to me. It’s a problem behavior that people need help with, and I think it deserves attention.