Hooked: the addictive effect of media
It is no mystery that people spend a great portion of their lives engaged with media. The fact is that as technology develops, so does our tendency to immerse ourselves in platforms such as Facebook, Youtube or Instagram. These three media pages have one thing in common: they have us all addicted.
Nir Eyal, an Emory University undergraduate and Stanford University graduate, states that 40% of what we do every day is directly out of habit; companies have taken advantage of this fact to increase their customer loyalty, but in an unethical manner. These massive corporations appeal to our internal triggers — usually negative emotions — to lead us to some kind of media page. In fact, people who suffer from clinical depression usually check their e-mail more often than others. It is these negative emotions such as anger, sadness and boredom that create a tendency to seek for a “happier” reality. These triggers lead us to an action; in order for there to be a behavior, there needs to be a motivation, ability and a final trigger to give you the ultimate push. After you’ve had an experience with the media site, you will obtain some kind of reward.
In social media, for example, you get a reward type called “tribe” in which connecting to others is the ultimate satisfaction. Think about how happy you get when you get a new follower on Twitter or how disappointed you feel when your profile picture has just one like. Other pages like 9gag or Instagram use another type of reward called “hunt,” and believe it or not, it is the exact same technique used by casinos. This reward consists of giving the user a reward and having the person crave for more. Think about it, when you win a hand in Blackjack, you will play again, since the reward might repeat itself. On Instagram, when you see an entertaining photo, will most likely keep scrolling to find another one even though you have to go through several useless posts.
If you’ve read until this far, you may be asking yourself, what is the point of breaking down social media addiction?
I’ve written this article for three reasons. The first one is simply to create awareness; few people actually know that social media addiction exists and influences many of us. Now that you have this knowledge the “I didn’t know” excuse is no longer valid.
The second reason, perhaps the most crucial one, is to encourage as many people as I can to unhook. Don’t get me wrong, this doesn’t mean stop using media. As a millennial myself I use Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter, Instagram and countless other media platforms on a daily basis. Being unhooked means using media deliberately instead of making it a habit. Opening Facebook to message a friend or looking at an old friend’s profile rather than opening a browser and typing the letter F without even being conscientious about it. Use media to maintain communication with people, to be informed or sometimes even to create awareness about a certain topic; just don’t be a zombie in front of a screen.
The third and final reason is to start using media in a positive manner. People will be hooked on media no matter how informed they are, simply because it is a quick escape from reality. Since media is a constant factor in the lives of mankind, let’s try to make a change in the world through its use. Promote initiatives that help others like aid organizations, healthy lifestyles, and unity. Sharing the page of an NGO on Facebook should be more important than the amount of likes of our cover photo. Someone telling you he donated old clothes to a children’s hospital because you uploaded a photo of the place to Instagram should be worth more than the amount of followers you have.
The negativity does not come from media, but from how we use it; we need to set our priorities straight and get over how people view our social profiles. We have the chance to make a change in the world just a click away.
