Dearest readers, have you ever found yourself chain watching YouTube videos? I don't think there's many people out there who haven't. I mean, it has tons of fun, informative and instantly useful content, and while many channels copycat each other, many more rise up to the level of quality TV programming but with no subscription fee :) Now, while I do appreciate that and regularly indulge in binge-watching (mostly as a side thing while doing other tasks), I have nevertheless started to wonder if I've been doing it a little too much. Am I, or is anyone else I know, addicted to YouTube? Is that even a thing? So naturally, in order to figure that out, I turned to (haha) the YouTube search bar for answers. What I found was bigger than expected- a rabbit hole going really, really deep; YouTube addiction is part and parcel of Internet addiction.
Initially, as I was finding out the details on this topic, I felt my mind instantly push back against it. Addiction is bad, but Internet and all its digital content is not something I can agree on seeing as bad. I mean, how would I not be online? I ask Google for information tons of times on a daily basis- sometimes for things I don't know, other times because I'm not sure about the accuracy of something I know from before. YouTube is an excellent source of information in video format. Netflix has replaced my cable TV. Social media helps me connect with the world on a larger scale than ever before, as well as stay in touch with family members. An occasional online game with other people doesn't hurt either :P
So, what's the problem?
It didn't quite click for me until I saw the video from Big Think on YouTube by Adam Alter, who explained very well that digital (Internet) addiction falls under a more recent, new category of addiction called behavior addiction. Behavior addiction is something Adam claims has been made possible by the increased sophistication of technology over the last two decades. When we use it, we engage in a repetitive behavior that brings a sense of reward or feedback almost instantly, feels good in the short term but is harmful in the long terms - psychologically, financially, socially and more. Another piece of this puzzle is that software companies and content providers add oil to the fire by hiring behavior experts to make their media platforms and apps even more addictive in order to compete better in winning us over. Since our smartphones and tablets also go with us wherever we go and are connected most of the time, there is no real separation and we tend to indulge practically non-stop. That, dearest readers, makes it way worse. Just as an alcoholic would with a bottle of rum, an Internet addict would hit the apps and games even more when they feel down, bored, not living up to their potential, insecure and so on. The more you get into it when you feel down, the better it makes you feel (without doing anything for you in real terms). Imagine an alcoholic who is drinking non stop during the day without any social stigma or backlash; that's us on our smart devices.
The final troubling thing is that, if we compare smartphones and rum bottles, is that a smartphone is a bottomless bottle of rum; it never runs out of new content, new stimulation, new feedback to give you those repetitive hits you are now addicted to! Scary, I know. Oh, and trust me, everyone who not just consumes information and entertainment but also posts stuff online gets addicted to testing the social waters, getting positive and negative feedback because none of us wants to be ignored and forgotten if we can do something about it.
After Adam's clip, I saw more videos and it just went into more detail on all the main points he touched on. After having a mini crisis and pondering over what's happening to us in the West (and developed countries in the East where smartphones and fast wireless connections reign), I thought about leaving it all behind. Luckily (for myself and my readers haha), I decided not to do it.
Instead, I remembered the fact that I don't have any substance addictions and the precise reason why - moderation and rules! This might be the most important part for any of you who sense you might be suffering from Internet/digital addiction. The moderation part is easy - don't limit your active online time, but reasonable amounts of time between social media, entertainment, tasks, new information and anything else you typically do. This will limit the overall time spent online. The rules, however, took more time and here's what I came up with so far (feel free to add more):
- Focus - limit your consumption of information and app use to what'll benefit you the most in your offline life; e.g. if you're not into becoming a history buff, don't waste hours watching top ten historical fact type channels on YouTube.
- Establish a healthy ratio between consuming and creating content- get active on social media, Wikipedia, comment on posts, review items you buy and more. Participating can sometimes pay off more than you think.
- Use automation tools and artificial intelligence as much as possible, especially for social media. These two things help you get information and put information out there without much of the repetitive, addictive actions. It is now easier than before to maintain an online presence that takes care of itself.
- Ask yourself if what you do online (whether posting or consuming information) is doing something to help you live better; if the answer is no because there are no tangible positive effects on your life, it's time for a change. Reality check: offline life comes first :)
I truly hope this article will help anyone who reads it. Let's face it- when it comes to the Internet and the digital world, we're all either addicts or about to become addicts. Whether your task is to fix or to prevent, all of us have a task and we better get to it :)
Initially, as I was finding out the details on this topic, I felt my mind instantly push back against it. Addiction is bad, but Internet and all its digital content is not something I can agree on seeing as bad. I mean, how would I not be online? I ask Google for information tons of times on a daily basis- sometimes for things I don't know, other times because I'm not sure about the accuracy of something I know from before. YouTube is an excellent source of information in video format. Netflix has replaced my cable TV. Social media helps me connect with the world on a larger scale than ever before, as well as stay in touch with family members. An occasional online game with other people doesn't hurt either :P
So, what's the problem?
It didn't quite click for me until I saw the video from Big Think on YouTube by Adam Alter, who explained very well that digital (Internet) addiction falls under a more recent, new category of addiction called behavior addiction. Behavior addiction is something Adam claims has been made possible by the increased sophistication of technology over the last two decades. When we use it, we engage in a repetitive behavior that brings a sense of reward or feedback almost instantly, feels good in the short term but is harmful in the long terms - psychologically, financially, socially and more. Another piece of this puzzle is that software companies and content providers add oil to the fire by hiring behavior experts to make their media platforms and apps even more addictive in order to compete better in winning us over. Since our smartphones and tablets also go with us wherever we go and are connected most of the time, there is no real separation and we tend to indulge practically non-stop. That, dearest readers, makes it way worse. Just as an alcoholic would with a bottle of rum, an Internet addict would hit the apps and games even more when they feel down, bored, not living up to their potential, insecure and so on. The more you get into it when you feel down, the better it makes you feel (without doing anything for you in real terms). Imagine an alcoholic who is drinking non stop during the day without any social stigma or backlash; that's us on our smart devices.
The final troubling thing is that, if we compare smartphones and rum bottles, is that a smartphone is a bottomless bottle of rum; it never runs out of new content, new stimulation, new feedback to give you those repetitive hits you are now addicted to! Scary, I know. Oh, and trust me, everyone who not just consumes information and entertainment but also posts stuff online gets addicted to testing the social waters, getting positive and negative feedback because none of us wants to be ignored and forgotten if we can do something about it.
After Adam's clip, I saw more videos and it just went into more detail on all the main points he touched on. After having a mini crisis and pondering over what's happening to us in the West (and developed countries in the East where smartphones and fast wireless connections reign), I thought about leaving it all behind. Luckily (for myself and my readers haha), I decided not to do it.
Instead, I remembered the fact that I don't have any substance addictions and the precise reason why - moderation and rules! This might be the most important part for any of you who sense you might be suffering from Internet/digital addiction. The moderation part is easy - don't limit your active online time, but reasonable amounts of time between social media, entertainment, tasks, new information and anything else you typically do. This will limit the overall time spent online. The rules, however, took more time and here's what I came up with so far (feel free to add more):
- Focus - limit your consumption of information and app use to what'll benefit you the most in your offline life; e.g. if you're not into becoming a history buff, don't waste hours watching top ten historical fact type channels on YouTube.
- Establish a healthy ratio between consuming and creating content- get active on social media, Wikipedia, comment on posts, review items you buy and more. Participating can sometimes pay off more than you think.
- Use automation tools and artificial intelligence as much as possible, especially for social media. These two things help you get information and put information out there without much of the repetitive, addictive actions. It is now easier than before to maintain an online presence that takes care of itself.
- Ask yourself if what you do online (whether posting or consuming information) is doing something to help you live better; if the answer is no because there are no tangible positive effects on your life, it's time for a change. Reality check: offline life comes first :)
I truly hope this article will help anyone who reads it. Let's face it- when it comes to the Internet and the digital world, we're all either addicts or about to become addicts. Whether your task is to fix or to prevent, all of us have a task and we better get to it :)