We
are
all
addicts
of
one
kind
or
another.
Whether
it’s
addiction
to
work,
alcohol,
drugs,
sex,
or
something
or
someone,
we
don’t
seem
to
be
able
to
relinquish
whatever
or
whoever
it
is
that
has
us
in
its
grasp.
Social
media
has
already
done
that.
Stories
are
replete
with
lawyers
and
judges
who
don’t
STFU
on
social
media
and
get
themselves
into
a
pack
of
trouble
with
disciplinary
agencies.
Did
you
know
that
there
is
a
12-step
program
for
media
addicts?
This
is
in
addition
to
Alcoholics
Anonymous,
Narcotics
Anonymous,
Overeaters
Anonymous,
Gamblers
Anonymous,
and
other
programs
where
the
goal
is
to
wean
users
off
bad
habits.
Media
Addicts
Anonymous
is
a
12-step
program
for
those
who
are
addicted
to
technology
and
social
media.
(I
am
not
making
this
up.)
Social
media
addiction
is
indeed
an
addiction.
A
recent
Los
Angeles
Superior
Court
jury
said
so,
finding
Meta
and
YouTube
created
products
as
addictive
as
cigarettes
or
digital
casinos.
It
awarded
the
plaintiff,
who
had
claimed
anxiety
and
depression,
$6
million.
The
jury’s
verdict
validates
a
new
legal
theory:
social
media
sites
and
apps
can
cause
personal
injury.
The
defendants
will
appeal,
while
a
number
of
other
cases,
alleging
the
same
or
similar
theories,
are
set
for
trial.
So,
given
that
there
has
been,
at
least
at
the
trial
court
level
here
in
California,
a
finding
that
social
media
addiction
is
alive
and
well
in
the
land,
it’s
not
surprising
that
there
is
a
support
group
for
social
media
addicts.
Media
Addicts
Anonymous
brands
itself
as
the
“12
step
recovery
from
the
compulsive
use
of
all
media.”
Its
purpose
is
“to
support
all
forms
of
media
sobriety,
including
abstinence
from
electronic
media,
films,
radio,
newspapers,
magazines,
books,
and
music.”
I
am
not
suggesting
abstinence
from
all
forms
of
media,
but
I
am
suggesting
that
it
wouldn’t
hurt
to
refrain
from
social
media
usage
to
the
extent
that
it
has
negatively
impacted
careers
of
lawyers
and
judges.
A
variety
of
missteps
have
landed
both
attorneys
and
judges
in
disciplinary
penalty
boxes.
The
question
is
always
“what
were
they
thinking?”
The
answer
is
obvious.
Rather
than
calling
out
individuals,
a
little
refresher
on
what
kind
of
topics
on
social
media
can
land
them
in
hot
water:
How
about
violating
ethical
rules
of
client
confidentiality?
What
about
nasty,
rude,
and
unbecoming
conduct
in
social
media
posts?
What
about
making
prejudicial
comments?
Asking
attorneys
who
appear
before
you
to
become
Facebook
friends?
What
about
posting
opinions
about
cases
in
progress?
What
about
commenting
about
the
conduct
of
lawyers,
the
judge,
jury
members,
and
witnesses?
What
about,
despite
pointed
instructions
to
the
contrary,
jurors
using
social
media
to
do
their
own
investigations?
What
about
taking
to
social
media
to
criticize
taken/not
taken
by
trial
counsel?
The
list
goes
on
and
on.
Where
are
their
brains
when
lawyers
and
judges
post
on
social
media
without
thinking
it
through?
Trying
to
explain,
justify,
or
otherwise
educate
on
social
media
is
a
time
waster,
creating
enormous
and
unneeded
blowback.
How
about
making
every
lawyer
who
wants
to
save
his
professional
license
and
every
judge
who
doesn’t
want
to
get
booted
off
the
court
to
enroll
and
finish
a
social
media
addiction
12-step
program?
The
Media
Addicts
Anonymous
website
has
some
diagnostic
tools
to
determine
whether
you
are
at
risk
or
already
addicted.
Signs
of
media
addiction
include
anxiety,
isolation,
procrastination,
inability
to
prioritize,
boredom
with
routine
tasks,
and
chronic
lateness.
There
are
other
signs.
Many
of
these
aren’t
necessarily
media
addiction
but
can
be
considered
part
of
the
life
of
a
lawyer
or
bench
officer.
We’ve
all
experienced
some
or
all
of
these
during
various
times
in
our
careers.
But
when
any
of
these
factors
become
excessive,
then
it
may
be
beyond
just
a
habit.
Remember
the
public
service
announcement
about
drugs
and
your
brain
on
drugs?
There’s
evidence
that
a
media
addiction
is
similar
to
alcohol
or
drug
dependency
and
changes
the
brain’s
prefrontal
cortex,
which
is
responsible
for
decision-making
and
social
behavior.
Back
in
1972,
before
smartphones
and
even
cellphones,
there
was
a
hilarious,
almost
prescient
scene
in
the
Woody
Allen
movie,
“Play
It
Again,
Sam.”
Dick:
[On
the
phone]
“Let
me
tell
you
where
you
can
reach
me,
George.
I’ll
be
at
362-9296
for
a
while;
then
I’ll
be
at
648-0024
for
about
15
minutes;
then
I’ll
be
at
752-0420;
and
then
I’ll
be
home,
at
621-4598.
Yeah,
right
George,
bye-bye.”
“Linda:
There’s
a
phone
booth
on
the
corner.
You
want
me
to
run
downstairs
and
get
the
number?
You’ll
be
passing
it.”
We
all
know,
unless
we’ve
been
oblivious
over
the
past
few
decades,
that
alcohol
and
drug
addictions
have
infected
our
profession.
Is
it
time
to
add
social
media
addiction
to
the
list
of behavioral
issues
we
should
be
concerned
about?
Will
AI
addiction
be
next?
Jill
Switzer
has
been
an
active
member
of
the
State
Bar
of
California
for
over
40
years.
She
remembers
practicing
law
in
a
kinder,
gentler
time.
She’s
had
a
diverse
legal
career,
including
stints
as
a
deputy
district
attorney,
a
solo
practice,
and
several
senior
in-house
gigs.
She
now
mediates
full-time,
which
gives
her
the
opportunity
to
see
dinosaurs,
millennials,
and
those
in-between
interact
—
it’s
not
always
civil.
You
can
reach
her
by
email
at [email protected].