Facebook is one of the top social networking sites on the web and we just can’t deny that more and more people are joining and spending more time on the site. Facebook is fun, and a lot find it useful not only for building connections with family and friends but also for business, recreation, and entertainment purposes.

Facebook is like a virtual world where everything seems fine, and nothing could go wrong. Facebook allows its users to socialize with their friends or contacts through its basic features and through applications and games. A lot of people love communicating and entertaining through Facebook. However, there is a problem looming overhead: more and more people are getting addicted to the site and some users have crossed the line from social networking into social dysfunction.

There are some Facebook users who have become obsessed with their use of the site; some have become dysfunctional with their daily lives and tend to focus their time in the Facebook World. There is no actual statistics on Facebook addiction and it is not an actual medical diagnosis but therapists say that they are seeing more and more people who have crossed the line.

Paula Pile, a marriage and family therapist has received clients with Facebook problems. She has stated that Facebook use has turned into a compulsion—a compulsion to dissociate from the real world and go live in the Facebook world. Pile created the Facebook Compulsion Inventory which users can take to find out if their Facebook use has turned into a compulsion.

Pile and other therapists have said that Facebook itself is not the problem and that the majority of its more than two hundred million users probably function just fine. The problems arise when the users ignore their obligations towards family and work because they find the Facebook world a more enjoyable place to spend their time than the real world.

How would you know that you are a Facebook addict?
• You lose sleep over Facebook. Facebook may be a compulsion for you if you stay up late at night because you are on the networking site and you are tired the next day. You should not neglect yourself because of Facebook.
• You spend more than an hour a day on Facebook. It is quite hard to pinpoint exactly how much time should be spent on social networking but a person most probably needs not more than thirty minutes.
• You become obsessed with old loves. One of the great attractions of Facebook is the opportunity to reconnect with old friends. There is nothing wrong with adding old boyfriends or girlfriends but things may get out of hand when inappropriate comments are exchanged with each other.
• You ignore work in favor of Facebook. If you are not doing your job well and sneak time on Facebook, you could have a real Facebook problem.
• The thought of getting off Facebook leaves you in a cold sweat.

One quick test to know if you are addicted to the social site: try going on a day without Facebook, and if it causes you a lot of anxiety and stress, you need to get some help.

Source: Five clues that you are addicted to Facebook

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