Facebook Inc. (FB): ‘Hi. I’m Joe and I’m a Facebook Mobile Addict’

Some of us are addicted to shopping. Some, drugs. Some, alcohol. Some, exercise. Still others, cosmetic surgery. (I know. I’m a bit creeped out too.) Others are addicted to coffee, video games, or pornography. Some of us are addicted to more than one of these things.   But what about Facebook Inc. (NASDAQ:FB)? Or what about your smartphone? Do you have a problem with either of those things to where they get in the way of your everyday life? Is it time for a support group? There could be, if the results from a recent IDC Research survey are any indication.

Not only are people addicted to their smartphones, but they’re very addicted to the Facebook Inc. mobile app on their smartphones. The results are quite interesting. IDC Research conducted a survey of nearly 7,500 18-to-44-year-olds and tracked their smartphone habits on both iOS and Android devices over a calendar week in March 2013. What the survey found first of all is that people can’t stand to be without their phones – four in five surveyed said they check their phones within 15 minutes of waking up every morning – and they use the phones for other things besides, well, you know, making phone calls. Checking e-mail (78 percent), browsing the web (73 percent) and checking Facebook (70 percent) were the top three activities on smartphones.

And not only do those users like checking Facebook Inc., they like to re-check … and check again … and check again. The average Facebook mobile user checks on the site nearly 14 times a day for a little more than 2 minutes each – in other words, 30 minutes a day. And does that get in the way of life, to where it could qualify as an addiction? Half of those surveyed who check Facebook check it while at the movies, 48 percent while working out, 47 percent while eating out at a restaurant, and 46 percent while in meetings or in class.

What do you think about this survey? Once you’ve read these findings, do you see yourself as an addict of Facebook Inc., or just of your smartphone? What are your top activities with your phone? About how often do you check your social-media profile? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.

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