Digital Dependency and Dopamine addicts
View(s):Today, every person has a minimum of three (3) devices, which connect them to the world via social media. Statistically, a person spends, 6hours & 45minutes on screen, which includes an average of 2 hours & 27 minutes on social media. An individual utilises his/her mobile device on an average of 144 times a day, which covers 2 hours & 54 minutes a day. A person needs to have at least 7 hours for sleep, leave another 3 hours for routine meals and refreshments, 2 hours minimum for personal hygiene, 2 hours for travelling (in Sri Lanka, this time may vary) and 8 hours minimum for employment or business. This illustrates the looming risk for the 8.58 billion mobile subscribers worldwide, comparing to the global population 7.95 billion and endangering the livelihood of a well-balanced human life in the digital-era.
Mihindu Rajaratne
What is Digital Dependency? Digital dependency can be defined as the overuse of the internet or electronics to the point that one’s daily life is affected. It can be divided into several different versions: phone dependency, social media dependency, and internet addiction just being a few examples as defined by the University of Northern British Columbia of Canada(UNBC).UNBC academic paperon ‘Defeating Your Digital Dependency’ outlines the methods of self-diagnosis and corrective measures to overcome this trending ‘addiction’ in today’s fast-paced world.Ignoring the impact ofthis ‘dependency’ may lead to several clinical issues, such as depression, anxiety, social dysfunction, and other impulse-control disorders such as angry outbursts.Recent reports on ‘erratic & disturbing behavior’ of youth in Sri Lanka, who were involved in crime and anti-social responses are best examples.
What is Dopamine? Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that plays a role in pleasure, motivation, and learning. It also plays a major role in how we sense pleasure and our unique human ability to think and plan, which is associated with ‘pleasure’ and ‘reward’. The activities that trigger its release can create a cycle of seeking out more of those activities for the same “feel-good” response. It helps us strive, focus, and find things interesting. it can also lead to a vast range of health issues, such as Parkinson’s disease and disorders like hallucinations and delusions. According to Dr. Giordano, professor of neurology and biochemistry at Georgetown University. Dopamine affects everything from the way we think and move to the way we remember and behave. However, everyone experiences dopamine differently.
Dr Anna Lembke, Professor and Medical Director of Addiction Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, author of the “Dopamine Nation”, which is an eye-opening examination of how addiction to instant gratification has become the norm in today’s society.
Dr Lembke says that addiction is a spectrum disorder: it’s not as simple as being an addict or not being an addict. It’s deemed worthy of clinical care when it “significantly interferes” with someone’s life and ability to function, but when it comes to minor digital attachments, the effect is pernicious. “It gets into philosophical questions: how is the time I’m spending on my phone in subtle ways affecting my ability to be a good parent, spouse or friend?” says Lembke. “I do believe there is a cost – one that I don’t think we fully recognise because it’s hard to [see it] when you’re in it.”
Digital dependency, in any form, seeks pleasure & reward or ‘feel-good’ response by the ‘likes’, ‘notifications’, ‘reactions’, which results ‘instant gratification’ andthe release of Dopamine facilitates it. The only way to overcome the ‘Dopamine addict’ is to control the time of engagement with the ‘blue-screen and devices, purposely and consciously. Want to get-rid of your habit? Determine to keep away from the device for a period of time starting from 30 minutes to one hour, at least in the morning, start the day with a cup of tea/coffee or exercise, walk in the garden or chatting with your spouse etc. Reading a printed paper or a page of your favorite book is another way and reduce the dependency on ‘social media’ etc.
The purpose of that time away, according to Lembke, is to ‘reset our brain’s pathways and gain perspective on how our dependency affects us’. The goal is generally not to banish it forever, but to figure out how to enjoy it in moderation – that most elusive of things. Some will realise they cannot enjoy it without going too far but usually “self-binding” techniques should help with finding a balance.
The tool that was innovated for human efficiency, productivity is now controlling and posing a critical threat for the well-being of the human lives. The latest threat is ‘Dopamine addition’ of ‘Digital Dependency’.
Narration:
The writer is the GM/CEO of LFSBL, has been in Fintech industry for 17 years, holds a MBA (Sri, J), Certified Risk Management professional (RIMS-CRMP), Certified Information Systems Auditor(CISA), Chartered Marketer, Researcher, writer and a senior lecturer. could be reached at rajaratnem@gmail.com.
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