Forum Addiction

... it's REAL. Becoming addicted certainly isn't something exclusive to AdminAddict. People really do become addicted to forums (that aren't their own) and they literally spend hours upon hours each day making posts and interacting with the community.

Why? What's the psychological connection that makes somebody addicted to a forum where they are a mere member continually giving their own input?

Just an interesting phenomenon...

 

Too much goodlyness! I have to say AA is the only forum I am addicted apart from mine. It's great to be at a community that you can feel comfortable in.

 

I think it has to do with differing opinions, and the cyber-interaction between people.

 

Human beings are herd animals! We need to live in communities, to have social contact with other human beings, else we'll wither and die. (Or be eaten by saber-toothed tigers.) I'd pick a community site over a well organized, static, dull web site any day.

 

I was like that on one forum, until the owner demoted all staff and went away, and now their is 500 spammers spaming the forum, and their isn't a thing I can do.

 

I'm quite sure that "forum addiction" can be directly related to the relationships and/or bonds formed and developed between the members of a community.

As a member of a discussion forum, you are entitled to not only share your views and/or opinions with others, but also "connect" with these individuals on a social level. By doing so, you are opening "new" doors and sharing your thoughts with people that share the same passion (or love for the subject matter being discussed) as you do. Yes, there are times in which you will disagree with one another and, because of this, you may hold small "grudges". Even as this may be true, it can all directly be related to the social cycle. People disagree - it's a fact and a common occurrence. It's healthy to do so. If we were all in agreement, there'd be nothing to discuss. Our conversations and/or discussion would be boring to excruciatingly high levels.

It's fun to connect with people - discussing a passion that you share with other individuals is the icing on the cake.

 

I agree with Chris 100%... Users do create a bond with the people on the forum, makes it fun.

 

Yep, it's crucial to develop a bond with fellow community members. By doing so, you're building a social relationship AND having fun at the same time.

 

Back before the Internet, people joined clubs, went to salons (I don't mean for hairdressing), or participated in peer-reviewed journals in order to have a sense of community about a topic they were interested in. We've just made it more efficient to connect.

 

Lol, I like the way you put this, seriously! It's true though.

 

im addicted to forums, even ones that arent my own cause im too shy to talk to anyone in real life and its a way of meeting people easily.

 

It's a sad sad case for me. I have no local friendships or groups that I belong to, mostly because I've rejected real-life relationships for the most part. I have almost no contact with the "real" outside world. My world is Mark and the internet. I'm very much an introvert, yet it's very easy for me to be open and talkative online. I'm comfortable online, so I tend to talk a lot on the forums I'm active on.

I know I'm not the most active here, but look...I have over 830 posts in the short time I've been here.

 

I must say, I am addicted to this forum. I think that is because this is one of two (starting to be one of one) forums where I can actually relax and not worry I am setting a bad example (most forums I go to I end up on the staff one way or the other).

Why do people get addicted? Online, they are unidentified. It is a chance to start fresh. No one judges you bu your looks, and when you write, you can revise. And not say something that will hurt someone's feelings.

 

Interesting topic. I have to agree that I've had my fair share of forum time that probably should have been used at something else (like right now for instance, when I should be typing my essay). On one forum in particular, which I was a part of for roughly a year until it basically closed, I had over 10,000 posts.

The community was very active, and unfortunately very immature and dumb. More than half of those posts came from helping other people, which I do enjoy doing and which is primarily the reason I enjoy forums as much as I do. So is it a bad thing? Well... yeah.

 

I can't really say that I'm addicted to "forums" per se, but I do confess to being addicted to the internet.

I make a living on the internet (however small), I met some of my closest friends on the internet first, I run forums, I enjoy Facebook, I buy and sell through Craigslist and my local cheapcycle email list, etc etc etc.

But then again, what is "addicted" really? I know the definition but still, I think it's different for every person. I recently spent 6 days in the hospital. No withdrawal or anything. I missed it yeah, but I didn't think about it every second, or feel like I was gonna die if I couldn't log on. Probably because I was focusing on staying alive, lol.


(For those who are going to wonder about that last statement, I had H1N1 and pneumonia).

 

Some of us just have too much time on our hands.