Users find craving for instant information can easily devour their days and nights, Wang Yan reports.

In the real world, Ren Zhiqiang runs a group with total assets of 9.4 billion yuan ($1.43 billion). In the cyberworld, his micro blog account also tops the rich list. It was estimated to be the most valuable one on Sina Weibo, worth 3,419,147 yuan, by an independent survey.

Ren, the 60-year-old chairman of real estate developer Huayuan Group, called himself a weibokong in one of his posts, which is Chinese for "micro blog addict".

The "weibo (blog) addict" got hooked in March when he "posted micro blogs continuously for days and nights".

An online survey conducted by Sina.com and the Beijing News in March found 63 percent of the 3,827 respondents immediately sent a micro blog post "when something interesting happened".

About 70 percent said they log in to micro blogs right after waking up or just before going to bed, and then refresh the pages while working or studying.

Sixty percent said they spent a great deal of time reading and writing posts.

Starting with scattered posts expressing personal opinions, Ren soon expanded the contents. Now he talks not only about the real estate industry and social problems, but also relationship issues.

His posts totaled more than 13,300 by the end of March.

"Some say I've wasted too much time on weibo, but I think it's just a way to study, entertain and relax, just like watching TV, listening to music or reading books. On weibo, one can find all sorts of things," Ren was quoted as saying in an interview.

While some say micro blogs have been a channel for celebrities such as Ren to show off or influence others, "ordinary" people have also joined the fun.

For Wang Xiaoyu, it was a reason to buy a new phone.

"I got this one in order to refresh my weibo at any time," said the 23-year-old administration staff member at a Beijing-based information technology company, taking the brand-new iPhone4 out of her bag.

She said the new phone was more convenient and faster in accessing blogs.

As micro blogs gain increasing popularity in China, even cell phone manufacturers have jumped on the bandwagon, advertising "fast Internet connection and easy access to weibo".

In early March, Sina Weibo announced that the number of users had reached 100 million, doubling the number from November. Tencent Weibo, another major service provider, also announced in early February that its user base had surpassed 100 million.

Wang said she set up her account last May.

"At first, I just used the micro blog to follow news of a famous star that I have admired for years," Wang said. "But now it is indispensable as I share information with colleagues and friends."

Wang often refreshes her blog every few minutes.

"If I didn't look at it during the day, I would feel flustered and frustrated," she said with a shrug, adding that reading blogs is the last thing she does before going to sleep.

Wang only follows people that she is familiar with and treats the blog as a private communication platform that helps her keep in contact with close friends.

"Sometimes, after I make a new post, I call and ask my friends to comment," she added.

Sang Biao, a professor of psychology at East China Normal University in Shanghai, said this feeling of interaction and sharing was the major reason for blog addiction.

Liang Liang agrees. The 26-year-old clerk at an advertising company in Beijing was among the first batch to establish a micro blog account.

"Due to work needs, I got an account in late 2009 when Sina Weibo was still under tests. But I did not use it for a long time because there was almost nobody I knew there," she said.

"But as more and more friends joined weibo, I became addicted and plugged in to the constant feedback loop created by the posts, replies, and comments. It's important, you know, to follow up and share with friends whatever happens around you."

She easily remembers a recent fire in east Beijing at a construction workers' dorm.

"I saw at least five posts with snapshots from different angles of the building," she said.

Another thing about micro blogs, she added, was that she can communicate with celebrities individually, a hard thing to do in real life.

Liang said she was really excited when a celebrity she followed on weibo replied to her comment.

Like Wang, Liang is waiting for the release of iPhone5 on the Chinese market to replace her Nokia. She wants to use more location-based services on the cell phone besides the micro blog.

Liang regards herself as a "definite weibo addict".

"I realized it one day when I found myself checking weibo at work, at home, before I went to sleep, and even on the toilet. I had officially become an addict."

Liang's account on Sina Weibo shows she had 1,694 posts by the end of March. On March 30 alone, for example, she made seven posts, with the earliest at 8 am and the last at 11 pm.

"My boyfriend is constantly warning me to take my hands off my computer and iPod," she said in a self-mocking manner.

Sang said, however, that spending too much time on micro blogs has a downside.

"Sharing information, recording interesting things or scanning news online is not unusual, but spending lots of time on it is unnecessary. It leads to unhealthy behavior and can affect their lives."

If someone uses the blog as a vital part of their daily routine, it could cause mental anxiety, he added.

Liang clearly identified with the anxiety aspect.

"After a few minutes without weibo, I would feel I was missing out. I would have to take a peek," she said.

"I know it could be a waste of time and brings down my work efficiency. When the train of thought is interrupted, it takes time to get it back."

Sang said people like Liang and Wang are among the biggest group addicted to micro blogs.

"They are generally young people under 35, and work in the Internet or new media fields," Sang said.

"They are more open to new things and have more time on computers," he said.

He added that the rapid development of the information industry, as well as the Internet, had also provided this age group with abundant chances to access new technologies and products.

Another reason for the popularity of micro blogs, Sang said, was that many people are better at communicating with others online instead of face-to-face.

"It may reflect some social problems in the education and family areas. For example, many children grow up without siblings, and parents may neglect teaching them how to deal with loneliness and avoid being selfish, both of which hinder communication."

The key to avoiding micro blog addiction, Sang suggested, is to strike a balance between virtual and real life.

A Tencent Weibo advertisement at The Place, a popular shopping venue for young people in Beijing. Provided to China Daily