Is tech addiction real?
What is Addiction
First of all, define the word “addiction”.
Regular folks use it to talk about someone’s obsession with a brand, a type of food, a person, or drugs.
Often scientists use it to refer to substance use, such as drug addiction.
There is also this open-ended definition that doesn’t specify if it has to be a substance. According to Wikipedia, “addiction is a biopsychosocial disorder characterized by compulsive engagement in rewarding stimuli despite adverse consequences.”
What is Behavioral Addiction
“Behavioral Addiction” is used to describe an addiction to an activity or an experience, instead of a substance. So far, the only behavioral addiction listed in the DSM 5 (the psychiatrist’s handbook — the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, the fifth edition) is gambling.
Although many behavioral addictions haven’t made it to the psychiatrist’s bible yet, they are getting increasing notice, given their similar mechanics as compared to substance addiction.
According to an article on science.org, as far as the brain is concerned, a reward is a reward. It doesn’t matter if the dopamine release is triggered directly by cocaine, or indirectly by an experience such as refreshing social media, online shopping, endless scrolling, or mindless clicking. The brain won’t tell the difference. It would chase that dopamine release anyways and try to make that happen often.
Excessive tech use & behavioral addiction
Although everyone is on their phone nowadays and cannot resist the urge to check their phone way too often, I am not saying everyone is addicted to technology. We just need to admit, our phone is getting way more attention than needed.
Because recreational tech use triggers dopamine release, it does have addictive potential. We all experience the negative consequences of tech usage one way or another, such as shortened attention span, constant distraction, “Fear Of Missing Out”, sleep problems, anxiety, unhealthy competition, self-loathing, etc.
In short, when using something does an individual more harm than good, and stopping causes withdrawal symptoms, it can be considered an addiction in a broader sense.
Excessive screen time’s impacts
We all saw results of people reporting negative feelings after technology use. In fact, we don’t need reports. We all live that experience.
What caused that negative experience? Below are some of excessive screen time’s impacts:
- Compromising grey and white matter
According to neuroimaging research, excessive screen time damages the brain in several ways. It diminishes grey matter and white matter which can make focus, problem-solving, and decision making challenging. - Impaired cognitive functioning
According to research, tech addiction can also result in less efficient information processing, reduced impulse inhibition, increased sensitivity to rewards, and insensitivity to loss. - Multitasking?
Multitasking is not as efficient as it sounds. In fact, we humans cannot actually multitask, what we are doing nowadays on the Internet is actually “switching back and forth”, which is known to cause poor cognitive and mental health outcomes. - Unhealthy comparison
According to Psychologist Melissa G. HuntIt, “It is a little ironic that reducing your use of social media actually makes you feel less lonely.” Spending too much time on social media doesn’t make us more connected. In fact, it results in us concluding that everyone lives a cooler life on Instagram. The unhealthy comparison can cause self-loathing.
Find a balance
Over the last decade, technology has weaved its way into the fabric of our daily lives at an unprecedented rate. It does help us become more efficient in many ways. Instead of considering it as a dangerous addiction, we should acknowledge and adapt to this change of culture.
Starting with awareness of technology use, we should become more mindful of when is time well spent with technology and when it just becomes too much.
Second, after looking at our time spent clearly, we should start making intentional decisions on how to spend our time. Recent technologies start to pick up on that. For example, set app time limits, record screen time, etc.
Third, vulnerable minds can get addicted to the screen easily. To prevent that from happening, people who are experiencing mental problems should seek help, instead of escaping from real life.
Lastly, as always the most important step is education and information. Kids nowadays never lived without the Internet. They should be educated at a young age on warning signs of digital addiction and balanced device use. Meanwhile, parents, schools, and other authorities should also take action to protect the young and developing brains from long-term damage caused by heavy technology use.
