Clin Pract Epidemiol Ment Health. 2016 Jun 28;12:43-8. doi: 10.2174/1745017901612010043. eCollection 2016.
Guedes E1, Sancassiani F2, Carta MG2, Campos C3, Machado S4, King AL5, Nardi AE5.
Abstract
Facebook is notably the most widely known and used social network worldwide. It has been described as a valuable tool for leisure and communication between people all over the world. However, healthy and conscience Facebook use is contrasted by excessive use and lack of control, creating an addiction with severely impacts the everyday life of many users, mainly youths. If Facebook use seems to be related to the need to belong, affiliate with others and for self-presentation, the beginning of excessive Facebook use and addiction could be associated to reward and gratification mechanisms as well as some personality traits. Studies from several countries indicate different Facebook addiction prevalence rates, mainly due to the use of a wide-range of evaluation instruments and to the lack of a clear and valid definition of this construct. Further investigations are needed to establish if excessive Facebook use can be considered as a specific online addiction disorder or an Internet addiction subtype.
KEYWORDS:
Excessive Use; Facebook; Internet Addiction; Social Networks
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