A study by Dr. Susan Moeller at the University of Maryland asked 200 students to abstain from all media for 24 hours. “24 Hours: Unplugged” generated a lot of discussion about social media addiction because the students used literal terms of addiction to describe their experience. While anxiety, a darkened mood, and an inability to function can indicate addiction, they are also understandable emotions when your primary way of connecting to the world and staying on top of things has been removed, especially when that could have grave consequences. For example, if you missed an important work communication sent via social media, your job could be in jeopardy, or at the very least, affected adversely. Social media is a tool that we have come to rely upon to fulfill our responsibilities, not necessarily to escape them.