Everyone these days seems to be addicted to something. Whether it is drugs and alcohol or chocolate and coffee, we all have our vices. While support groups exist for everything from alcoholism to overeating to chocolate dependence, it seems that in today’s society, a new addiction has taken hold of the masses. Although the substance may seem benign in comparison to potential alternatives, it already has pulled millions of people into its trap, enticing them to partake in all that it has to offer. In fact, you are probably a victim yourself, perhaps unaware of how your addiction has irreparably altered your life. The culprit? Social networking and social media.

If you need proof of this increasingly widespread addiction, just take a look at the numbers. Between August 2008 and January 2011, the number of Facebook users increased from 100 million to 600 million. And this mass exodus into the virtual world is not limited to Millennials. Generations of pre-teens, tweens, parents, and grandparents alike all are itching for their next fix of online communication. A recent study by the Pew Internet and American Life Project reveals that 26 percent of Internet users over the age of 65 report using Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or other social networking sites. (See a wonderful chart from Pew at www.v3im.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/Pew-image-for-blog-post.png.)

Is this an addiction that is impossible to overcome? And, if so, why is social media dependence such a bad thing?

With large numbers of Boomers and Seniors joining their kids and grandkids in cyberspace, social media is discouraging generational polarization. It has become a shared experience—a form of interaction that allows teens and parents to communicate in new ways. Mom is not chastising her daughter for spending too much time on Facebook because she is joining in on the fun. Grandpa and grandkids are sending emails to each other. In many ways, social media sites can actually act as a generational bridge rather than a divide by making it easier than ever for kids and parents to interact and by encouraging older generations to become more tech-savvy.

However, the skeptics are still out there. Traditionalists argue that reliance on online communication detracts from authentic human relationships. In the views of these dissenters, a Skype chat or a Facebook message cannot replace the personal connection of a face-to-face lunch date, and an e-mail is no substitute for an in-person conversation.

While it may be tempting to assume that these proponents of conventional communication are mainly members of the Boomer generation, this stereotype is far from accurate. Social media dependence is an equal-opportunity addiction. It afflicts people of all ages, and Boomers are just as enmeshed in the phenomenon as anyone else. Rather than dispensing wisdom about the lost art of human interaction, they have come to embrace their new social lives—the ones taking place in the virtual world.

Regardless of who is voicing concerns about the future of human relationships, we are forced to assess the validity of their claims. It is undeniably easier to shoot off a Facebook message than to arrange a meeting, but is online communication a cop-out? Whether you are 18 or 80 years old, it is essential to remember the importance of face-to-face human connection. Are we all in danger of replacing real life with virtual reality? If so, it’s time for an intervention.

Social networking/media addiction is ultimately the same as any other. We networking junkies must admit our dependence on online communication in order to break free of its power over us. It seems that, in this battle against addiction, a five-step program is in order. After all, 12 steps seems like way too many…and will take the reader away longer than they would like from their social media needs while they are getting informed!

1. We first must admit that social media has us in a chokehold. We cannot go more than an hour without checking our phones or computers—we are victims of online communication.
2. We must acknowledge that constantly updating our statuses and scanning our news feeds is essential to keeping us sane. God forbid we miss out on a single detail of our friends’ days or on a lost business opportunity!
3. After some deep soul searching and a few embarrassing admissions—has it really been six months since you actually made time for a face-to-face conversation with someone?—we are ready to wean ourselves off of social media.
4. Now it’s time to make amends with those who have been potentially harmed by our addiction. Apologize to your neighbor for sending a Facebook message rather than walking the 20 feet to her front door, and to your grandmother (or grandchild) for tweeting “Happy Birthday!” instead of calling.
5. As a result of these steps, we are now able to resume communication with the real world while simultaneously enjoying the benefits of social media. We have power over our online interactions—not the other way around.

It is naïve to believe in a world devoid of social media. There are those who connect and reconnect with life through the portal of the internet. In some cases, it is their sole source of communication and interaction. It really can be OK.

But it is dangerous to believe that social media comprises our entire world. While it is safe to say that social media is here to stay for all generations, we are far from powerless against it. By learning to cope with our addiction, we can ensure that our virtual realities coexist peacefully with face-to-face human relationships.

So, next time you log into your Facebook or Twitter account to catch up with friends, wish your aunt a happy birthday, read Obama’s tweets, or generate buzz for an upcoming product launch, think of the five steps and remember the world beyond your computer screen.

Jim Finkelstein is a student and leader of people in business. With 34+ years of consulting and corporate experience, he has specialized in business and people strategy, motivation and reward, and organizational assessment, development, communications and transformation. Finkelstein has worked for diverse industries, from health care to high tech. He has built programs and provided services to Boards of Directors, senior executives, management and employees.

Finkelstein received his MBA in Organization Behavior and Development from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania (1976) and a BA in Psychology and Economics from Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut (1974).

His experience includes being a partner in a Big Five firm, a CEO of a professional services firm, a corporate executive for Fortune 500 companies, and an entrepreneur with his current company, FutureSense®, Inc. He has experienced business from every possible angle and through every possible change.

Websites: www.fusethebook.com, www.futuresense.com

Fuse: Making Sense of the New Cogenerational Workplace™ is available for purchase on amazon.com. It will also be available in eBook format.