Two industries call their customers users: drugs and software. Although there is no official data on the number of new addicts, psychologists agree that “this pandemic has virtualized us, as with no other remedy we had to learn to relate, to adapt to telework, to online classes, remote medical appointments… WhatsApp, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter have become an extension of our real life, the inevitable way of relating”.
But how can something as positive as connecting with others turn against us? The answer is that social networks are designed to play with our vulnerability and addiction because they all meet one of the basic needs of human beings: developing a sense of belonging (like explain the psychologists).
“Facebook used behavioral techniques to create an addiction, as was done with cigarettes.” The problem came with one of the geniuses of these networks: the creation of the like button on Facebook (which was later extended to other networks), a click that connects directly to our brain’s gratification system. Just like any addictive substance. Click on bullet journal is (bullet journal คือ which is the term in Thai)
Positive feedback causes our brain to release endorphins — those chemicals in charge of producing our well-being — so we associate positive reinforcement with the pleasant sensations we feel when we receive this stimulus, which, in turn, becomes addictive. The first thing that appears, therefore, is a profound disenchantment. This is something that the two user profiles that open this article also have in common.
We cannot be surprised that a year like 2020 has accelerated the negative consequences of this dependence. There are already studies linking the frequent use of social networks during the pandemic with a higher prevalence of mental health problems.
Technological dependence (also called “drug addiction”) affects teenagers, who, when they abuse social networks, experience withdrawal syndrome, emotional discomfort, dysphoria, insomnia, irritability, and restlessness. This is not exclusive to younger people: in adults, it also causes withdrawal from real life, anxiety, reduced self-esteem, and loss of self-control.
