A behavioral addiction such as SNS addiction may thus be seen
from a biopsychosocial perspective [2]. Just like substance-related
addictions, it would appear that in some individuals, SNS addiction
incorporates the experience of the ‘classic’ addiction symptoms, namely
mood modification (i.e., engagement in SNSs leads to a favorable change
in emotional states), salience (i.e., behavioral, cognitive, and emotional
preoccupation with the SNS usage), tolerance (i.e., ever increasing use
of SNSs over time), withdrawal symptoms (i.e., experiencing unpleasant
physical and emotional symptoms when SNS use is restricted or
stopped), conflict (i.e., interpersonal and intrapsychic problems ensue
because of SNS usage), and relapse (i.e., addicts quickly revert back to
their excessive SNS usage after an abstinence period).