2 For The Price Of 1

If you have an addictive nature...

Then you're bound to be addicted to things of no real value.
Take me for example... Started a blog a f.ew months back. Was on it properly, had a break for a few months, then came back with a bang again recently, after the withdrawal symptoms hit me.

Yeah the shakes came about, the sleepless nights and all sorts; when you think about it though, what is it that makes social addiction that in which the name suggests?

Second bold paragraph prefix used as you can see...
Social addiction and social media addiction.
At this point I will refer to them as SA and SMA.

Do I know whether these are real and documented under another name? No.
Is this vital? Necessary? Or just a thinly veiled distraction to provide this meta joke? Maybe!

Please try to see that this is purely opinion based and is by no means solid fact, but I will admit to being apart of the mix in some cases, now; on with the analysis.

SA - We've all watched shows like Made In Chelsea and TOWIE, I'm socially addicted to shows like these. You know why? It's because they give me so many reasons to critique them. When you watch this kind of tv, the brain releases chemicals which work to subdue all rational thought... When I watch these shows, the chemicals in my brain take temporary vacations. I go in as a blank canvas, telling myself to be; and remain neutral mostly. It's difficult, extremely.... difficult! Why do I feel the need to critique MIC and TOWIE though?

I watch them and keep thinking... poorly acted, poorly scripted, repeated topics (relationships etc), lack of charisma in main characters. I watched 4OD the other day and MIC was playing; wherein these things kept on reeling from my mouth, the same critiques I try to stop myself from mentioning. The shows become addictive because they make us think; "How the hell can someone behave like this? How do they bring the ratings in? Why do people meme these people? Why can't I stop watching this?........"

This is when you read back a sentence and you ask yourself repeatedly... "Why can't I stop watching this?........" The addiction comes from the surreal atmosphere and the way the wooden characters drift ashore like a dead beached whale... or some driftwood, whatever works! All in all, it's entertaining because it misses the things which conventional tv provides, you don't get this level of entertainment from shows like Luther, or Dexter or even Budgie The Little Helicoper. (Going through the time warp at this point).


SMA is connected to SA; in that SMA is what I am going through now, the first paragraph prefix gives it away. SMA is the unjustified need to rely on social media to get through the day.
Ever wake up flick your phone awake and without thought load up the Facebook app and write that you've "just woken up" or "need more sleep", as if to say anyone gives a crap and had no idea that this is what you were experiencing, similar, if not the same as they are?

SMA is almost like drug dependance, except it does a bit less damage to you in a physical sense but it does damage your real social life to some degree, unless you aware of it most times.
Ever go to a bar which you've planned for weeks, (via FB of course) only to be tapping away at your phone all night when you're at the bar; saying how you wish you were at home or are "having fun with the mates at blah blah blah bar"? You, my friend are a victim of SMA.

Don't cry and don't be shy, just remember to fight the urge of both SA and SMA and your days will be long.