Social media addiction is disastrous, isn’t it?
Addictive attitude, this is not a new phenomenon.
Hiii, hope you’re feeling well today.
Today’s story is about addictive behaviour, which is not new but evolves through time. Let’s jump in.
So, should we cut off our phones? It’s not necessarily to cut off, but you should make a strict time with your phone, I think? I don’t know the solution I should give because I myself also struggle with this case. This is also an old problem to many people, and from the oldest time we have had our own problems related to addiction. As we can see today, we’re just doing fine. For millennia, we have been susceptible to this “addiction attitude,” so why is this phone addiction very frightening and becoming a concern to everybody, from educators to researchers?
Here’s the point we’re going to talk about today:
We actually have this addiction from such a long time ago, from the invention of letters to the phone. Let’s map the year in every invention where humans also develop an addictive attitude.
So, why the phone addiction become so phenomenal, educators and researchers are afraid of this technology, in the worst case related to social media. Is it just the same as the old addiction?
Adults are struggling to keep their concentration after scrolling on social media, then what about the kids?
Let’s have a talk about it:
We actually have this addiction from such a long time ago, from the invention of letters to the phone. Let’s map the year in every invention where humans also develop an addictive attitude.
The potential for addictive behaviour is not new in history, it’s evolving alongside our technologies and cultural practices. With help from perplexity ai, we can make the possible mapping to acknowledge this behaviour.
Started in ancient times when storytelling could hold the audience's attention. This storytelling method could make the audience dependent on the validation it gave. The invention of writing in Mesopotamia, gave the instant obsessive of study and to write records. This was also followed by the invention of paper in China. It made the information and stories more easily spread. Society was more easy to get escapism toward the mundane life. The printing press era in Europe made the reading material more available to the society.
The rise of newspapers which gave regular updates on news, politics, and social events created a sense of interconnectedness and forced society to consume more information. In the 19th century, the novel became a dominant form of entertainment. Escapism through novels and emotional dependence on fictional characters made worry because of the neglect of reality. Then, it would be followed by visual media, radio, TV, video games, Internet, and mobile devices.
Although technologies have evolved way faster than we expect, the attitude behaviour is multifaceted, meaning we can blame the technologies alone here. It also involves the psychological, social, and environmental factors. This behaviour also shifts gradually, not just in one night process. The Internet and mobile devices have allowed society to get more information way easier and faster. And no doubt, in today’s era where social media has evolved our society, many people, including researchers, educators, and the US Surgeon General also have warned about the effect of social media on the human body.
This leads to the second question,
Why has phone addiction become so phenomenal, educators and researchers are afraid of this technology, in the worst case related to social media. Is it just the same as the old addiction?
Interestingly, phone addiction or social media addiction is a little bit different than the other addictions we have talked about earlier. Someone who is addicted to read books is different to someone who is addicted to social media, that’s just different, right?
It’s because our phone is always with us and creates no boundaries. This constant access creates more temptation which is different from books, newspapers, radio or TV. We have strict access to it, like we have to be at a specific place or time. The temptation of our phone causes an endless stream of rewards which triggers the dopamine releases and creates a powerful loop in it. And even the Content creators feel burnout due to the algorithm of each social media.
The “For You” page offers a personalized page in which all the content will be suited to your needs or your preferences and that really screams “FOR YOUUUUU.” That’s different from reading books or even watching TV. You need to pay attention fully, and there’s no instant gratification through reading. You have to focus and even repeat again on what you are reading. Also, reading books won’t give the FOMO vibes, it’s always the phone.
If we talk about setting boundaries with people, we also need to talk about how to create boundaries with our phones because they blur now. You are allowed to scroll during your meal, and constantly check on emails on weekends, ahh those are things that make us burn out. Without notice, our brain is impacted by that activity. The impact of development on children and adolescents is a major concern right now. Excessive screen time can disrupt brain development, affecting attention span, impulse control, and even to our social skills.
And adults are trying to fix their attention span right now, so why bother giving the kids a smartphone?
I do really support the government about the ideal age children should have a phone, right now, the popular is age 17. Before that, please don’t give your children a smartphone, just give them a dumb phone. You won’t see our children struggle to focus in class and less engage in learning. As to their mental health, we won’t see the increase in depression, anxiety, and social isolation in our generation anymore. Social polarization is also very hard to resist because when someone doesn’t how to filter the information, they will be trapped in social polarization.
So, in short, smartphones are addictive not only because of the technology itself but also the design that exploits our psychological vulnerabilities.
That’s it. I appreciate you reading.
