Whether it's texting on your smart phone, or jumping online to post on Facebook or Twitter, many of us view technology as an everyday lifeline. Could this digital fascination actually be a digital addiction?

7&4's Kate Fox introduces us to a woman who can't seem to cut her connection.

Experts say this age of advancing technology has downloaded a new addiction and anyone can get hooked. 80% of Americans use social media and end up spending an average of more than 5 hours a day digitally connected. According to researchers at Stanford University, one in eight Americans is a compulsive internet user.

Mary Lynn Robertson says, "I do crave it…really actually do. I don't know that I could give up my Facebook."

Mary Lynn Robertson has no problem admitting it.

Robertson says, "I'm addicted yea - is there a negativity coming around it? Probably, I guess it depends on if someone knows where their line is or not."

In a given day, Robertson spends 4 hours on the computer surfing Facebook and for the other 20 hours she stays connected with her smart phone.

Robertson says, "I find myself when I can't sleep, sometimes checking it from my phone in my bed."

In the midst of this digital craze, how do you know when the obsession has gone too far?

Robertson says, "My six year old last week said, I understand you and Cameron's mom are friends on Facebook now. And it kind of brought awareness, I’m like I got to watch it because my kids are now startling to realize what's going on. "

As for her husband, he's well aware of what's going on and makes it clear he doesn't approve. He has even threatened to get rid of the internet.

Addiction Specialist Barbara Fasulo-Emmott says it's not easy to walk away because the constant barrage of digital information affects our brain chemistry.

Fasulo-Emmott says,"It's a release of dopamine that happens or adrenaline that occurs when these receptor sites are activated."

And too much dopamine can make you addicted. 

Fasulo-Emmott explains, "It's like an obsession or a compulsion to do something, where it becomes a problem. Maybe it's taking you away from your everyday life whether it's with their family activities or taking away from friends or time you might be doing some kind of sports activities."

Fasulo-Emmott says just like any other addiction people can go through withdrawal, not like termers but there are physiological signs.

Robertson remembers feeling uneasy on a family trip to the Upper Peninsula where she struggled to get cell phone service.

Experts say it's all about taking back control and that means shutting it down and changing your digital habits. 

To beat your digital addiction it's important to use coping skills. Experts recommend trying some deep breathing exercises, or diverting your attention to focus on something else like physical exercise.