Social Networking Addiction Brought to Life in New Book

December 21, 2009, New York, NY – On December 1st, author Nnamdi Godson Osuagwu released Facebook Addiction: The Life and Times of Social Networking Addicts, the first fictional book to address what doctors and experts are calling Social Networking Addiction. The book takes a satiric look into the lives of twelve individuals who have entered into rehab (“Social Networking Anonymous”) to help kick their habit. Each chapter is the testimony of one of these individuals, all reflecting the vivid and creative imagination of the author. Recognizing the overall seriousness of this issue, Osuagwu collaborated with the New York Daily News to provide real life accounts of Facebook addiction gone wrong. The characters crafted by Osuagwu accompanied by the news articles from the Daily News provide a balance to the book and offer comfort to the reader that the author did take time to research his subject. In a recent interview with the NBC affiliate station in Philadelphia, PA (WCAU-TV - http://www.TheFacebookAddiction.com/links/nbc10), Osuagwu reinforced this point stating, “Even though it’s fictional, we really wanted it to mirror reality.” For the last several weeks leading up to the release Osuagwu has been posting real-life articles and entries from users worldwide via his Facebook Addiction Blog (http://www.TheFacebookAddiction.com/blog).
It appears that the timing of this project could not have been better with the influx of new “social technology” in the forms of devices, applications and networks. Whether it’s MySpace or Twitter with the accompanying user applications for “smart phones” like Blackberry and I-Phone, people are connecting with each other with unprecedented frequency and ease. In only five years since its creation, Facebook has expanded globally with over 350 million active users, more than half of whom log in daily. According to the research firm Hitwise, Facebook is now the number one online social network in the US and recent ratings from media research giant Nielsen show that it has garnered the same position in the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Switzerland. As the phenomenon continues to grow (time spent on social networking sites has tripled in the last year according to Nielsen figures), doctors and behavioral specialists fear that people are losing touch with reality and consuming themselves in this new online world. Osuagwu expresses similar concern saying, “In doing my research I realized just how extreme this addiction can become. In some individuals it can substitute drugs and alcohol as another form of escapism. “
In congruence with the timeliness and innovation of Facebook Addiction, Nnamdi Godson Osuagwu put together a three-day global virtual release celebration with the help of the online branding technology company Strategic Generation. The Global Virtual Book Release Party took place from Friday, December 4th to Sunday, December 6th, allowing participants to not only follow Osuagwu’s exploits from their homes but to share their own experiences online throughout the weekend.
A summary of the weekend events, can be found in the following link: http://www.TheFacebookAddiction.com/party
This book is a classic example of a writer using his imagination to create art only to realize through the process how close to reality his art would land. Facebook Addiction is the first of what is sure to be many literary works based on the fascinating world of Facebook.
Title: Facebook Addiction: The Life and Times of Social Networking Addicts
ISBN: 978-0-9797480-3-5 Format: 5 x 8 paperback Genre: Fiction SRP: $9.95
Publisher: Ice Cream Melts Publishing
Available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Kindle
http://www.TheFacebookAddiction.com/retail
About the Author
Nnamdi Godson Osuagwu is the author of "Ice Cream Melts," a well-received book of poetry on the processes of life's high points transitioning into low points. He is also the author of "A Souvenir for My Mom: First Hand Accounts from the 2009 US Presidential Inauguration," which is a collection of interviews and firsthand accounts of the feelings and experiences of the people that attended the historic event. For more information on the author and his works, visit http://www.IceCreamMelts.com/nnamdi.

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