Humanity as a whole has been unfortunately cursed with addiction. Never would I openly admit to succumbing to being addicted to the nature of dopamine, but here I am finding myself in the same boat as nearly the rest of the world. Dopamine. Dopamine communicates with brain cells and encourages them to act in a pleasurable, excitable, euphoric kind of way. Dopamine is the engine, the driving force of addiction. Happiness is sacred. That’s why some of us would do anything to feel happy all of the time.
Moderation. The idea of a balanced, more wholesome life. This is not an easy idea to achieve, a matter a fact, not even really considered an American Ideology. As we grow up in the United States, we find that we are always pushed to do the best of the best, sometimes no matter the cost. We are taught that we need to have out lives figured out by the time we leave college, in which you go to immediately after high school. If not, sucks to be you. We are taught that in order to succeed we need to be special. We need to have a talent, something that sets us apart from everyone else. A humane addiction. The addiction of needing to get an occupation that pays you enough to make a living and more. A flaw in our society. Greed. The need to have more, be more, becauseing if you aren’t winning, you are losing.
One important design flaw that social media takes advantage of, the use of instant gratification through likes, feedback, and notifications. Rosenstein, a man of Silicon Valley, created Facebook’s like button claims that, the “likes” he created were, “…“wildly” successful: engagement soared as people enjoyed the short-term boost they got from giving or receiving social affirmation, while Facebook harvested valuable data about the preferences of users that could be sold to advertisers.” This idea was hen copied by other social media companies who wanted to create this idea of fitting in. When really they were doing the exact opposite. The use of likes, notifications, and comments allowed so much space for people to compare each other, and attempt to fathom why one wouldn’t like there post. Likes, numbers, creating social status and developing popularities. It is hard enough as it is as a kid finding your people and yourself, establishing an identity. Then to add social media on top of them. Keeping up with the lives of your friends. The money. You then are convinced, that you want to live someone else life. You want to wear their clothes, and do the things they do, be in relationships just like theirs. In which you are then addicted to sisal media. Addicted to wanting something you don’t have.
The incorporation of moderation in social media is so important and yet so difficult. It’s hard to tell an addict, no more. How do you do this? Well, the first step would be you acknowledge the effects of social media on the public and realize that you want what is best for your kids, yourself, your customers, your peers. Then, you limit. You have the power to control what you give your attention to. Practice at home with your families. You can put timers on you social media apps, you can put your phones way when you are talking, learning, eating. Enjoy what is around you and live in the moment. Moderation. When you use social media in moderation, odds are, you will live a more wholesome life. How can apps do this? They can take away numbers, or “likes.” Attempting to delete any obvious ways to compare one another. If Instagram and Facebook were to stop notifying those when others post, and who others follow, these would be minor changes that could benefit society in a large way.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/oct/05/smartphone-addiction-silicon-valley-dystopia
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