"The nature of media addiction"

A responce to STEEMIT addiction

We live in a world that is oversaturated with information. Information is everywhere, may it be in the form of an advertisement or just instructions to open the door. Much of it is useless to us, we learn not to pay attention. But if it's served attractively or raises our interest, we'll definitely take a look. We might find some use of it, maybe just to pass the time. It becomes a habit, to check everything out, to stay on top of the news, to check our facebook and twitter feed as often as possible. We rarely consider doing anything else at that moment, staying informed has become our priority. We do it on our breaks, while riding the bus, in our free time, before going to bed, maybe even in bed or maybe... some of us never do it at all.

There's something natural about wanting to know more. I think it's in our DNA to be curious, to explore and learn. For a newborn, it's vital to start learning as soon as possible. We are complex creatures living in a hostile world. To gather all the knowledge possible from our surroundings is the key for survival. Imagine a fly or a snail for instance. They are small and are born to this world alone. Everything they need is already given to them by reflexes and instincts. The snail starts roaming and eating, the fly starts flying and sucking. It has worked for millions of years. Human on the other hand have to be creative to aquire food. The knowledge gathered after birth becomes more important than basic reflexes. I think we are still like our ancestors in that regard. We endlessly try to learn new things, because there's an instinct telling us: knowledge is power.

But evolution has played a trick on us. Now there's too much information available and it's all at our fingertips. No wonder people claim they are addicted to Steemit and other media. It feels good to consume information even though most of it adds no value to our lives, it simply takes up time.

Habits and addictions

Humans like rewards. Studies have shown that we get more attached to rewarding activities that are mixed with challenges and punishments. "No pain no gain." That's why some bodybuilders can't stop, until they end in the emergency room. It's why gamers play endlessly computer games: the reward, of being the nr1 or obtaining any other goal, seems valuable enough to do most of the time seemingly worthless things. It's why we keep checking our phones. Maybe there's something worthwhile happening, but there rarely is. It's why gamblers gamble.

It's easy to say "It's just a habit". All addictions start from just those habits, but we must be honest with ourselves: why are we doing those things we do? If we realize that we could, would and should do something else instead, but simply can't because the temptation in our mind is too strong, I think it's fair to say it's an addiction.

Maybe it's not an addiction, but lack of love and caring?

The virtual life has more and more priority in peoples lives. At the same time our social interactions with friends and strangers decreases each day. Depression is at an alltime high. Feeling connected to the world via news, social networks etc. offers a fast relief to our main problem: loneliness. Yet it won't erase it.

In the 1960's about 20% of the soldiers in Vietnam used heroin regularly to relax. It was feared that when they returned, the US would get a generation of addicts, but 95% of users didn't develop an addiction. Back home, they didn't find any need for it. It demonstrates how addictions aren't necessarily caused by what we consume, but why we consume it. We have a need to bond with the people around us, but when there's noone around we bond with anything that gives us a sense of relief. It can be drugs, but may also be the internet, games, or any other habit or activity.

Ultimately an addiction is the reflection of another problem in our lives. We have to identify it and deal with it. It takes a strong will to oppose your own mind, but that's the key here. Sharing the burden with others and starting new activities will help forget and erase those crawings in our head.

So if you declare you are addicted to Steemit, maybe it's time to stop and reflect on your life?

References

[1]"Kurtzgesagt - In A Nutshell" video about addiction on Youtube

[2]"Veritasium2" video titled "The Distraction Economy"

[3] "Habits or Addiction - who decides?" by Jeanene Swanson ;webarticle: https://www.thefix.com/content/habit-or-addiction

Thanks for reading!

Check out my other blogs: https://steemit.com/@sulev