Humanity’s present is so endowed with digital footprint that it becomes difficult to imagine even a minute without it.
The world becomes easier place to thrive with the gadgets of our choice and equally difficult without them.
We are so empowered by our electronic friends in every possible field, be it broader perspectives like work, school, a greater learning, direct benefit transfer, money transfer or simple things like Navigation, leads for almost anything available in market.
It has been and will be playing indispensable role in our lives, becoming one of the basic needs of human existence.
Therefore, when every layman and rank-holder pass his normal day sunken in objects known to radiate and perform in most obscure of ways, it becomes researcher’s imperative to conduct studies confirming its impacts on human health.
Psychologists, Sociologists, Physicians and even Anthropologists have taken their chances to investigate in this field.
A few de-addiction experts are even concerned with the “phone problem”, that is to peep in that little source of power every consecutive minute and the loss of “real freedom” (as per these experts) that comes in with this progressive digital relationship driving us crazy.
The Dr. explains: “We’re seeing a huge explosion in the numbers of people struggling with minor addictions, the data shows we’re less and less happy.”
Technology overuse or digital addiction and health problems like those with compulsive disorders, eyes, heart etc. have surfaced apart from certain behavioral changes, though structured and limited usage has its own unmatchable benefits.
I just wonder if we ever needed research to know any part of it. But there is greater science at work here.
Dopamine and the way we lean on Social media:
As per the interview given by two Experts: Anna Lembke, Chief of the Addiction Medicine at Stanford University, and Tristan Harris, Center for Humane Technology: “This is a problem probably as big as climate change.”
She tells something about Social media: “It’s not addictive by accident, it’s addictive by design”.
“They don’t sell your data, they sell the capacity to influence and manipulate your thoughts, beliefs, and behaviors through advertising.”
“So long as we’re the product and not the customer, their business model is making sure that we use it as frequently and for as long and as often as possible.”
Dopamine, a natural neurotransmitter carrying signals from body to the brain, found in human body, is vital to physical and mental wellbeing of a human.
Dopamine levels in one’s body determine our mood, memory, sleep, learning, concentration and even its voluntary movements.
What causes this steep fall?
Diets high in sugar or fats can suppress the production of dopamine, lack of protein can reduce an amino acid required to build dopamine in the body while another study has found people with obesity to possess a certain gene that has the probability to cause dopamine deficiency too.
Scientists have used dopamine to quantify “the addictive potential of any experience,” that can be summarized as follows: higher the dopamine production and release, the more addictive is the thing we are on.
When we binge on a certain act that gives us immense pleasure in the beginning (from now on, remember high Dopamine release), the brain tends to bring lesser and lesser ‘feel-good’ chemical with passing time.
Though ‘the thing’ becomes less breath-taking, but the body eventually becomes dependent on the same stimuli to keep it functioning and we spiral into that pleasure-seeking loop.
“We’ve evolved over millions of years to want to connect with people because it helps us protect ourselves form predators, use scarce resources, find a mate. One of the ways our brain gets us to make those connections is [to] release dopamine.”
“The problem with things that release a lot of dopamine all at once is that our brains have to compensate. But this is really the key point — our brains don’t just then bring our dopamine firing back to baseline level”.
“It actually pushes dopamine levels below baseline. We go into a dopamine deficit state. That’s the way the brain restores homeostasis: If there’s a huge deviation upward, then there’s going to be a deviation downward.”
“That’s essentially the comedown … that moment of wanting to stay online and click on one more video or connect with one more person.”
And so, the next time we get on face to face with some unsettling problem in personal or professional lives, we can surely switch back to our digital realms who are 24/7 available to rescue us from the problematic responsibilities of life.
The Dr. explains: “It’s very different from how life used to be, when we had to tolerate a lot more distress. We’re losing our capacity to delay gratification, solve problems and deal with frustration and pain in its many different forms.”
This is all the problem but nothing is completely wrong. How can we dare to make social media a better platform?
Surely, if we can just use it to forge human connections, rather than making it a place to run after dopamine.