This will leave you speechless.
Video Credit: Be Inspired Via YouTube
Are you using your device or the device using you?
-Denzel Washington
A very intriguing question from the award-winning actor Denzel Washington. However, it is a question that tells a sad reality. A reality that either people are not aware of or simply ignore. The reality that many of us, not all, are addicted to social media, online games, and gadgets.
Social Media Addiction
I presented the video above to a group of students (aging from 15 to 16 years old), last week. I asked them if they are guilty of being addicted to social media and their cell phones. Many of them admitted that they are indeed addicted to social media and their cell phones. Some, with varying reasons, claimed they are not.
But what is social media addiction?
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According to an essay posted on The Wisdom Post:
Social media addiction is a term that is often used to refer to someone who spends too much time on social media like Facebook and Twitter or other forms of social media. As a result, it affects the person’s daily life.
Although there is no official medical recognition on social media addiction as a disease, the negative habit of excessive use of social media has become a subject of much discussion and research.
Children are exposed to technology at a very young age.
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The young generation today, the millennials, were exposed to technology at a very young age. kids below 18 years of age have their own social media accounts. Some of them had their own cellphones even before they celebrated their 10th birthday.
They learned to "socialize" on the Internet. Taking selfies almost everywhere (even in the comfort room). They take pictures of every meal they have, etc…
Taking selfies almost anywhere.
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But how can you tell if a person is, or you are, a social media addict? Here are some 5 of the telltale signs:
- Every time you wake up in the morning and the first thing you do is check your Facebook, Instagram, and/or Twitter and see how many likes shares you got from the posts you uploaded before you went to sleep.
- You take photos of every meal you have, every day.
- You take selfies on every opportunity you got post them on your Facebook and/or Instagram. You do this while standing beside the escalator and you saw your reflection in the mirror, inside the taxi, or even in the restroom.
- You always check the number of likes for every photo that you have posted.
- You use the term "hashtag" in verbal conversation.
Some people take photos of almost every food they eat.
Image Credit: @samalegre via Pixabay
Video Game Addiction
Recently, the World Health Organization declared that Gaming addiction is classified as a mental disorder . Though, there are other experts that says that this is still premature and claims that gaming disorder is a"condition for further study".
Playing video games is highly addictive
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However, "disorder or not", many kids these days are hooked on video games, whether they are offline or online. These kids would spend hours and hours in front of the computer or on their cellphones and tablets playing games.
Cellphone and Gadget Addiction
Perhaps, both Social media and video game addictions would not be possible if it were not due to the convenience brought about by cellphones and other gadgets. Cellphones and gadgets like game consoles, iPads, among others enable users to access social media and games.
With this convenience, people have virtually unlimited access time to social media and games.
Are you addicted to your cellphone?
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Are you addicted to your cellphone?
Here are some of the questions from an article on Pyscheguides.com on Signs and Symptoms of CellPhone Addictions
- Do you find yourself spending more time on your smartphone than you realize?
- Do you find yourself mindlessly passing time on a regular basis by staring at your smartphone even though there might be better or more productive things to do?
- Do you seem to lose track of time when on your cell phone?
- Do you find yourself spending more time texting, tweeting, or emailing as opposed to talking to real-time people?
- Do you secretly wish you could be a little less wired or connected to your cell phone?
- Do you sleep with your smartphone on or under your pillow or next to your bed regularly?
- Do you find yourself viewing and answering texts, tweets, and emails at all hours of the day and night, even when it means interrupting other things you are doing?
- Do you text, email, tweet, or surf the internet while driving or doing other similar activities that require your focused attention and concentration?
- Do you feel your use of your cell phone actually decreases your productivity at times?
- Do you feel reluctant to be without your smartphone, even for a short time?
I suppose the same questions could be asked to assess yourself if you are indeed addicted to social media and video games.
Why social media, video game, and cellphone so addictive?
Simon Sinek on millenials and technology
Video Credit: @David Crossman via YouTube
According to Simon Sinek , in the video above, every time we use our cellphones or receive messages and likes on our social media, the brain releases a chemical called Dopamine! Dopamine is a neurotransmitter or a chemical that carries signals to the brain.
Social media and the Internet are like drugs
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Effects of Dopamine:
1. Initiate Movement - Dopamine produced from a distinct part of the brain (I don't want to go biological science here) initiates movement and speech.
2. Expect (and Receive) a Reward - Dopamine, from another part of the brain, is released when we expect or receive a reward. This what makes us happy when we eat our favorite food or hear our favorite song. This tells us that whatever we experienced (or tasted) is worth having again.
-Reference https://www.sciencenewsforstudents.org/article/explainer-what-dopamine
Dopamine is released on the dog's brain when they receive a treat after accomplishing a task.
Image Credit: @42273 via Pixabay
Perhaps the combination of the two motivates us to do something that we like doing again and again. Like:
- When we receive likes on our Facebook or Instagram post, get a dose of dopamine.
- When we accomplish a task or a quest or level up on a game, we get a dose of dopamine!
- Every time we receive a text message from a friend, we get a dose of dopamine.
Then, we want more. So we make another post, we play some more, we send more message in order to receive more! We want more and more each time until we get hooked!
Are you hooked in Bitlanders?
I believe we get the same dose of dopamine when we accomplish the daily tasks here in Bitlanders. We get a dose of dopamine every time we see that "Congratulations! You have completed a daily task…"
Daily reward!
Image Credit: screenshot by @artbytes via bitlanders
Each time we see our daily bonus increase, we get more dopamine! So we want more. We write more, we post more! We want to get more buzz! We want to earn more!
Anyways, I don't mind getting addicted to bitLanders. Who would, when we receive actual monetary rewards?
Conclusion.
I believe Social Media, Video Games, and Cellphones were designed to get us addicted. Though most of the time, this addiction have negative effects (which I will post next time), using the same principle could get us motivated to do something good in our lives as well. As I have mentioned, getting addicted to bitLanders is a good thing, since we are rewarded financially. Also, thanks to the creators and designers of this site. that they limit the daily tasks.
