HONG KONG -walking, reclining, eating and playing, commuting, shopping: People worldwide check their smartphones regardless of where they are and what they’re doing. They’re unwilling to get their eyes off their screens, whether they’re walking along a busy street or in the gym.
Mr. Adam Alter, an author and professor of 안전놀이터cmarketing at the New York University’s Stern School of Business, believes that technology has never been so “efficient and addictive.”
In his book 2017 Irresistible: the rise of addictive technology and the business of Keeping Us Hooked, author David A. Smith outlines the challenges of a raging addiction to behavioral drugs and how games, apps, and other technology products capture and keep our attention.
“We thought addiction was mostly related to chemical substances: Heroin, cocaine, and nicotine. Today, people spend three hours a day tethered to their cellphones, and Snapchat boasts that its youthful users open their app more than 18 times a day,” the author says.
When Mr. Alter informed the news that Apple founder and technology giant Steve Jobs refused to let his children play with the iPad when it was launched, He decided to research further.
In a Ted Talk he gave in April 2017 entitled Why screens make us less happy, he stated that Jobs’ decision was “unprecedented.” Jobs made a decision that astonished him because one of the most important rules of business is that managers should utilize their own products. Further investigations by him added flames to the fire.
“I discovered that the Waldorf School of the Peninsula in Silicon Valley doesn’t allow any tech — no iPhones or iPads — for under 11-year-olds and that 75 percent of the parents are tech executives,” the man says.
Mr. Alter was determined to discover what experts thought their products were extremely risky. He found that the software and applications are loaded with traps that make them nearly impossible to avoid.
The author says that tech companies profit from our ability to develop “behavioral addiction,” which could impact our mental and social health. The hooks in products that “catch” us include variable reinforcement via shares and likes in social networks.
“Modern technology also lacks the ‘stopping cues’ that older mediums had built in, such as the end of a book chapter,” the author states.
“The feeds on social media platforms and games like World of Warcraft are bottomless, making it harder to regulate our use. If I’m addicted, the minute I start firing up the game, my brain will look like the brain of someone addicted to heroin and preparing the next hit.”
Mr. Alter claims that social media, much like gambling, is a gamble with the risk of reward built in. “You post content and wait for feedback,” he states. “Sometimes you’ll get a flood of engagement, other times none. It’s that unpredictability, as well as the social feedback, that keeps people coming back.”
Tech companies can mine massive data sets to pinpoint the exact reasons we click and its reasons.
Mr. Alter states that the brains of people release dopamine, a neurotransmitter, in response to playing phones and games on video and when they see likes on Instagram posts. While this may make people feel good for a short time, they quickly develop an appetite and crave more.
“When this becomes a way of scratching some psychological itch — loneliness, anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, boredom — if you are turning to some device or experience to help you deal with that deficit, there’s a good chance you’re addicted,” he adds.
The author says the long-term effects of technological addiction could be social, disrupting people’s lives and hindering them from spending quality time with their family members.
Children are 안전놀이터particularly affected by excessive online use, which could affect their ability to pay attention and their comprehension of navigating the world of social media.
“(The consequences) can also be financial, with people spending thousands of dollars on in-game purchases; and even physical, as people who don’t get exercise end up sitting on the couch for long periods,” he adds.
The most traumatic effects can be psychological. Addicts can be withdrawn as well as depressed, anxious, and in some cases, suicidal, says the doctor.
For Hong Kong, a survey conducted last year by 97 people between the ages of 13 and 25 revealed that they spent, on average, 8 and a half hours per day using mobile phone apps, mostly social media.
The survey, conducted between March and May, was conducted by the Hong Kong Playground Association. This organization is not a government agency and provides social services to children and youth. It also revealed that over two-thirds of the respondents admitted to using social media to see what other people were doing More than half of respondents browsed websites, and more than half of them utilized social media for communicating.
Mr. Alter acknowledges the many benefits of technology. He also says that exercise, relaxation, reading, education, and health apps can be beneficial. Based on his own experiences, technology can be incredibly useful in connecting people living in remote areas.
“We need to ask ourselves what forms of screen use are bringing us to benefit, and what forms are robbing us of our psychological well-being,” the author says.
“More often than not, the gaming, ‘doom scrolling’ and social media feeds leave a negative impact and should be limited.”
Alter is adamant that Alter believes that work should not require workers to carry an unlocked phone available throughout the day.
