Internet as a Buffet
May be it is time we limit the unlimited
In 1989, Brown & Williamson, one of the Big Tobacco Company, hired Jeffrey Wigand to work on the development of a safer cigarette. As Wigand started working, he realized that the company was not committed to making a safer cigarette but was more concerned with its image and preventing liability. While Wigand tried to change this, he was fired from the Company. Later on, Wigand publicly exposed the tobacco companies. Wigand assisted the FDA, obtaining thousands of pages of explicit evidence linking the company’s efforts to increase the addictive components in cigarettes and other products. Wigand alleges that even the president, Thomas Sandefur, was aware and compliant in the practice of increasing certain ingredients in cigarettes solely because of their addictive qualities.
What Big Tobacco was then, Big Tech is now.
What nicotine was then, information (or ‘content’ in the common parlance) is now.
With the invention of the World Wide Web (www) by Sir Tim Berners-Lee in the 1990s, the internet became a popular and public place with a staggering amount of information. The rapid rise of media, websites, apps and unlimited wireless access has led to oversharing of information. To share some stats,
- We created 2.5 quintillion bytes of data daily in 2020.
- Every day, 306.4 billion emails are sent, and 500 million rants are made on twitter.
- As of 2020, 15% of the content on Facebook is video.
- 55% of the time spent online is on entertainment, of which videos constitute 35–40%.
Source: Livemint, TechJury
While there is nothing inherently addictive about information or content itself, the true drivers of our addiction is the dramatization of the content and the instant gratification it provides. On average, Indians spend 2.4 hrs daily on social networks and messaging apps. Tech companies today, bank on this attention of yours.
We are subjected to never-ending cascades of overly dramatic and negative news mixed with entertainment and short videos that will always leave you “wanting more”.
News media mostly can’t always show positive news. They have to report whatever is happening. But, the good news or seemingly good news hardly ever makes it to your television screen. However, the main problem is that they blow everything out of proportion. Any Pakistani or Chinese movement on the Indian border is a potential sign of war. Every Bollywood actor is under the influence of drugs and the only visible thing from Space is the Statue of Unity.
Basically, if there’s violence, conflict or death involved, you’re in for a show. It gets top billing. Nowhere is this more true than in television news, which coined the expression, “If it bleeds, it leads.”
The news channels give way to alarming exaggerations and prophecies barring all the improvements aside. No wonder we get an illusion of constant deterioration. Our worldview is distorted. This causes great stress for some people and makes other people lose hope.
On the other hand, we have social media. Apps that keep you glued to the screen by providing a constant influx of personalized and filtered content eventually leading us to one of the brand videos.
Facebook researchers have found that 1 in 8 of its users report engaging in compulsive use of social media that impacts their sleep, work, parenting or relationships, according to documents reviewed by The Wall Street Journal.
The human brain exhibits something called Neuroplasticity. It is basically rewiring of your neural circuit to adapt to new environments. Spending more time on social media platforms hotwires your brain to look for instant gratification and quick social feedback and it starts affecting your cognitive function. This is possibly why we are losing the ability to consume long form content. This is why your hand inadvertently reaches out to your phone after reading a few pages.
Information Diet
We crave sugar and fat. Our cravings for sugar and fat make obesity one of the largest health problems in the world today. Akin to food, we are consuming a lot of junk information. Information overload encourages overconsumption.
According to a recent study, a heavy load of information confused the user, affected their ability to set priorities, or made prior information harder to recall. Although the user can select where to focus their attention, paying attention gets difficult and quality of work might be affected.
It also affects people’s decision making and low productivity.
We need to curate the way we consume information to maintain a healthy mind. We should cogitate on the possible consequences of our internet use. Information Diet is to a healthy mind as Balanced Diet is to a healthy body.
What can be done?
- Turn off the Notifications
The app notifications call for user attention. Turning them off puts your consumption in your control. - Curate your inbox. Consume information through newsletters.
Newsletters usually speak about a specific topic. It is often brief and respects your time. As your loyalty to a newsletter grows, your subject knowledge increases - Use addons that monitor your time across the apps.
Most smartphones have a Digital Wellbeing feature that captures the amount of time you spend across different apps. Use this information to monitor your usage of social media apps. - Consume content offline.
Read more books. Books are the best way to consume information on any topic. It reduces your screen time and reduces stress levels by up to 68%. - Look at the facts. And always look at the other side of things.
Read content that doesn’t just support your point of view but against it to get a richer experience. - Disconnect — Exercise and deep breaths help to reconnect you with your body and give your mind a rest while exercising your muscles.
