A story on CNN today discussed how to figure out if you or loved ones are addicted to Facebook.

The story focuses on a grown woman who turned down her daughter's request for homework help because Mommy Dearest was tied up with Facebook. The woman, who isn't identified to avoid public humiliation, is facebooking about 20 hours a week (half for business, half not, she claims).

This sounds like a case of misplaced priorities, but is it a sign of mental dysfunction? Among ways to tell, according to CNN:

You're on Facebook more than one hour a day.
You're doing Facebook at work a lot. Honestly, with Facebook, Twitter and every other online preoccupation, is anyone getting any work done? (Actually, one study indicates that some young workers spend half their day on social-networking sites.)
Here's a doozie: You're racking up a lot of Facebook time reconnecting with an old high school sweetie (particularly inappropriate if one or both of you is married).
The CNN story has a link to therapist Paula Pile's "Facebook Compulsion Inventory" (.pdf file). When we initially tried to access it, we couldn't because so many other people -- probably CNN fans -- were attempting to read it. Be patient. It could be helpful.

There's a lot of other related reading online:

CNN links to the Guru of New's "7 signs you may be ready for a social media detox."
Has Twitter taken over your life? LiveSteez has "7 ways to beat your Twitter addiction."
Nick O'Neill critiques a wikiHow article about ending Facebook addiction in a post at AllFacebook, the unofficial Facebook site. (More tips are available at this wikiHow post.)
If Twitter is taking up way too much of your time, you'll find lots of online advice about how to knock it off. Conversely, if you want to make sure that people un-follow you, read Jill's post at Scary Mommy. It's a list of Twitter don'ts, including oversharing about yourself. Twitter, she observes, "is innately narcissistic. Are any of us really as interesting as we think we are? Probably not."

Those words of wisdom could be applied to any social-networking site. Your community probably wants to see photos of your kid's wedding or your new puppies. But people don't need to hear that you just trimmed your cuticles, and don't want to read every detail of your health or family problems. If you need to share your woes, pick up the phone and call a close friend.

Related reading:

How to protect your privacy on Facebook

Keeping teens safe online

Real-life lesson: Don't post stupid photos online

How I busted my e-mail addiction

I've never seen Facebook but I'm addicted to Mingle.

just mingle .....

i have facebook but im not on there that much the same with twitter that site is a little confusing..
i also have myspace but i dont use it that often.

as for mingle im not on here as much as i was for last yr one day i was on the computer for 16hours and some of it was on mingle. and i had dialysis the next day. i was so sick and dizzy i had to go to the doc..

i still got on the computer but not as much as i did

I'm addicted to 80s Winx.

I'm addicted to checking my email. Paricularily since I don't really get much. I'm just addicted to having ready access to the internet. When I go to long where I can't check it, it agitates me. But at least checking for email I don't have only lasts a few seconds.

I'm on Facebook everyday

becoming addicted to ANYTHING is a sign of weakness and lack of self-control. becoming addicted to The Internet is really sad. there are a million things to do in "The Real World",get off your computers and get out there and do them. Internet Addiction is just one of the many sad things technology has brought to this "Brave New World". be seeing you

i think i'm becoming addicted to this site and i am so glad there's an L in mingle!