Written by Amanga Mane and Niek van Droffelaar
Niek: "Amanga, you are a Millennial and therefore grew up with the internet. I think that smartphone must have grown on your hand by now... but still you don't have Instagram? Tell me.”
Amanga: "that's right, in fact; I am now part of the counter-movement that is aware of the negative effect that social media can have on mental health.”
Niek: "a counter-movement?”
Amanga: "we get up and go to bed with our smartphones and tablets, which are constantly fighting for our attention. That struggle is inherent in the current economy of the internet. Where internet media gives us the idea that we are consumers who can obtain content for free. But in reality, we are being fooled here because we are not a consumer, but a product. Our data is simply used and sold. Google, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube are in fact modern advertising companies, which devise strategies to seduce people as effectively as possible, based on that data. After all, advertising is worth their investment only when attention is drawn to it. That is why Facebook-newsfeed, designed to keep users glued to their screen for as long as possible. Scroll down as far as possible and click through as often as possible. The more attention is captured, the greater the turnover.”
He said, " Don't you watch that advertisement? I swipe and click away everything I don't want to see.”
Amanga: "advertising companies and internet media make use of the so-called Dopamine Compulsion Loop. Every time you receive a new message, dopamine is released in your brain. The same substance that is responsible for addictions to nicotine and cocaine. Push messages bombard us with dopamine rewards. The pull-to-refresh- function of news pages has a neurophysiological effect similar to pulling the handle of a fruit machine!”
Niek: "Wait, Are you saying that I'm just as addicted to my phone as someone is to cocaine?”
Amanga: "Haha, don't worry because the temptation of social media doesn't always have to be negative. But from an ethical perspective, you may wonder where the line is. When seduction begins to affect our freedom of Will and the appeal to our attention is so strong that it undermines our ability to " want what we actually want." At that point, Internet media can become such a steering influence on mind and behavior that we are no longer able to pursue our deeper desires.”
Niek: "deeper desires?”
Amanga: "Exactly! What are those deeper desires? The young adult generation, which grew up with smartphones and social media, is less and less connected to each other. From research turns out that a deeper personal connection with the other person is one of the most important predictors of happiness and health. The continuous distraction of internet media prevents us from doing so. An interesting fact is that Apple recently introduced the feature screen time added to the iPhone, where users are made aware of how many hours a day they are busy with different apps.”
Niek: "so Apple helps you become aware of how long and how often you are on social media, for a healthier and happier life?”
Amanga: "exactly and that's why I don't have Instagram either! Because, take a look at your own screen time and decide for yourself how happy you will be...”
Niek van Droffelaar, The Transformation Group
