Many studies have proven that more and more people are becoming addicted to mobile phones. This is due to the increase in the number of models, various services and applications offered with these devices. It has become a kind of social malaise and a kind of mania.
Initially, the telephone was a useful tool for communicating with people at any time and at any distance, thus improving relationships.
Today, the phone is with us all the time and we perform so many actions with it that the list of them will be divided into a separate article.
There are many factors that cause this kind of addiction, which will be discussed below.
Game Addiction
Many of us spend too much time on mobile games. Developers make good money on this and try to do everything to keep our attention. They come up with daily tasks, various bonuses, add leaderboards and a multiplayer mode so that we can play with friends.
Stretch and tighten the gameplay in all possible ways. As a result, we play at any time, in the morning or in the evening, sacrificing sleep.
More and more teenagers and adults are spending time playing mobile games at the expense of real life.
Wide range of applications
Smartphones have a wide range of games, as well as applications for various tasks. Fitness and health apps, sports apps and so on.
Many people believe that logic games develop the brain. In fact, this body quickly adapts to puzzles and the monotony of actions ceases to have a positive effect.
Plus, we spend a lot of time on them that we could spend with family, friends, or healthy sports.
Fast Internet
Today, you don't need to carry a GPS or a map with you. You don't need a portable DVD player or MP3 player as your smartphone has it all in a more compact form. You can also use your smartphone instead of a computer or TV, and with the speed of the Internet increasing day by day, any information you need is literally at your fingertips, that is, on the smartphone screen.
Photo and video apps
Users also spend a significant portion of their time in photo and video apps. When you have a smartphone, you want to share interesting things that surround you. People even take pictures of food to post on social media. Are others interested in knowing what you eat?
Instead of making the most of our holiday in a beautiful tourist spot, we are more interested in taking as many souvenir photos as possible. Various photo and video mobile apps allow you to spend a lot of time editing this material before publishing, which further aggravates the situation.
Social networks
People have been using smartphones to connect with their surroundings for a long time. Communication takes place through text messages and the exchange of files and statuses in VK, WhatsApp, Twitter and other similar applications.
This makes people feel like they are more social, when in fact they are only more alienated from society. It's becoming more and more normal to sit at the dinner table and constantly check text messages, tweets and VK feed.
Conclusion
Thus, we see that there are many reasons that increase the dependence on smartphones, the consequences of which we will face in the near future.
Today, more than ever, people are actively discussing the possible dependence of people on technology. Technology companies were even forced to build special counters and limits into their software products that would make us think about the time we use smartphones. Doctors recognize the addiction to computer games, and it's hard to even imagine what will happen next. But is it really that serious?
Psychologist Christopher Ferguson believes that many of the claims about the impact of technology on the human brain and body are completely unworthy of attention. What's more, he's willing to debunk a few myths for us based on his experience with families, teenagers, and their attitudes towards technology, games, and addictions.
Many say that the use of technology activates the same pleasure centers in the brain as drugs do. This may be true, but these same pleasure centers are not necessarily activated by something harmful. Any entertainment leads to an increase in dopamine levels. This list may include delicious food, sports or pleasant conversation.
Pleasant activities increase dopamine levels by 50-100 percent. Narcotic substances increase it by 200-350 percent. With that in mind, comparing computer games to drugs is like comparing a raindrop to a waterfall.
Technology addiction is not a mental illness
The World Health Organization has added video game addiction to its list of diseases. Christopher Ferguson believes that the people responsible for this decision do not take into account the possibility that gambling addiction may be a symptom of other psychological disorders.
There are a huge number of contradictions that do not allow us to consider technology addiction as an independent disorder. Many doctors recognize this. In addition, people who are described as tech addicts tend to be able to recover from their disorders more easily than those with mental illness. Gets along without treatment.
Technology addiction is not caused by technology
Usually in discussions it is argued that people are attracted to the technology itself. Christopher Ferguson believes that people are starting to turn their attention to technology due to depression, anxiety and other problems. After all, no one thinks that people who are depressed and spend all day in bed have bed addiction.
With this in mind, it is worth paying attention to ways to treat technology addiction. If it is a symptom, then it is not necessary to treat it, but a real disease.
Technology is not the only focus
At this point, Ferguson draws attention to the fact that people devote no less time to other activities. For example, you can get involved in yoga or dancing. You can get so carried away that it also becomes like an addiction. By the way, you can find several scientific articles about dance addiction. It is difficult to provide evidence that technology is more addictive than dancing.
The use of technology does not lead to suicide
As evidence that the world of modern technology brings us problems, some experts have provided data on the increase in the number of suicides among female adolescents. What is not taken into account is that the suicide rate has increased for all age groups. Growth began in 2008 during the financial crisis. Perhaps there is a more serious problem in society that is not noticed in the heat of the fight against technology.
Scientists sometimes make scary claims based on little data. You might as well say that eating potatoes and suicide are somehow connected. Certain statistics can be attached to this statement.
Of course, there can be problems with the use of technology. But many simply cannot imagine their work today without computers and smartphones, with pleasure resting from them later. There is a tiny kernel of truth in the discussion of problems and dependence on technology. However, there is no evidence that there has been some kind of technology-related crisis.
Dependence on technology
Why are both drug addicts and the computer public called "addicted"?
Clifford Stoll, astronomer and writer
United Parcel Service Truck» stops in front of the house, and you are at a loss as to what the courier Tom brought this time. Maybe another food processor - you already have two, but this one is definitely better! Or those fantastic boots you bought on eBay? What if they are a size smaller - they spread themselves ... You see off Tom with a look and gesture to ask him to leave the package at the door, because you are not going to jump up from the computer right now. The auction on eBay is coming to an end, and you definitely need these jeans! They are much prettier than your current ones - almost the same, but still a little lighter. It's just that some freak has been raising everything and jacking up the stakes all day. That's the most exciting thing about an auction: making others feel like they've already won, and suddenly tripling the amount in the last seconds. It was enough to pay only five dollars more than your competitor's highest bid, but finally they will find out what a miserable loser they are! Three, two, one... It worked! You are now the proud owner of your eleventh pair of classic cut jeans.
It's time to look for those items that you are usually interested in: three types of shoes, four brands of clothing, china for every day, china for guests, a ski suit, children's clothing ... Nothing that deserves a bid, the search does not return. Then you go to your favorite online shopping sites: lingerie sale, lamp sale, furniture sale, but again nothing interesting. A clock comes into view, and then you realize that five hours have passed! The husband and children will soon return home, it's time to cook dinner. But, most importantly, you need to have time to hide that box behind the door - whatever it may be. All hope for the late evening: when everyone goes to bed, something new will appear on eBay ...
When we say addiction, we usually mean drugs or alcohol. However, the same neural circuits in the brain that turn people into alcoholics and drug addicts are responsible for the compulsive habits associated with new technologies that cause almost the same addiction and, in the long run, are destructive to the individual. Almost all the activities that people enjoy so much - eating, shopping, having sex, playing - can be psychologically and physiologically addictive. However, the constant availability of the Internet and online anonymity have given rise to a new class of compulsive habits brought about by the World Wide Web and other digital technologies.
Are we watching a new reality show on TV or are we looking for Google old, the brain and other organs automatically respond to the hail of new stimuli that falls on us from the screen. The pulse slows down, the vessels in the brain dilate, blood drains from the main muscles. This physiological response helps the brain focus on mental stimuli. Due to the rapid change and alternation of images, our "orienting reaction" is replaced by feverish activity: we continue to look at the screen, but in the end, instead of a new dose of stimuli, fatigue comes. After such a marathon, the ability to concentrate decreases, and many people complain of a feeling of emptiness - as if they were "sucked out of energy." Despite these side effects, it's hard to resist the temptation of the computer and the TV, and the brain - especially the young - easily gets addicted to it. Nowadays, computer games are sold with a bang.
Internet addicts admit that they experience a surge of good mood, or “high”, as early as the moment they start the computer. The peak of pleasure is visiting your favorite sites. If you're addicted to shopping, flipping through ads, getting a credit card out of your wallet, or being on sale is all you need to get really excited. Euphoria comes even before you take concrete action. It's because of the special brain chemistry that governs your behavior, ranging from subtle cravings for something tempting to full blown addiction. Behind these reactions is the brain's dopamine system. The neurotransmitter dopamine is a signaling molecule that regulates everything related to punishment, reward, and exploration.
Euphoria is caused by dopamine. Alcohol, methamphetamine or online casinos trigger the same chemical process in the brain. The victim of addiction, once without his drug, is forced to lust and seek it with obsessive persistence. When you drink whiskey or pay with a credit card, dopamine sends signals to the brain's pleasure center, causing the addict to repeat the compulsive behavior over and over again. Even if they do not deliver the former pleasure. Even if the victim of addiction is well aware of all the negative consequences.
The "rewards" of the dopamine system are a powerful force that even non-addicts are familiar with. Studies show that volunteers who are addicted to a computer game that causes such an addiction play non-stop, no matter how hard you try to distract them. The dopamine system helps them ignore noise and discomfort. Older work has shown that dopamine levels jump with food and sex. One can only imagine what kind of dopamine release an interactive computer game with sexual motives causes (and such games, of course, exist).
When an internet addiction takes hold, the brain's "command center," the anterior cingulate cortex, loses control of it. This area in the front of the brain is responsible for decision making and the ability to reason. To overcome addiction, it is necessary not only to drive the dopamine system into the framework, but also to spur the work of the anterior cingulate cortex.
EVERYONE CAN BE HOOKED
People of any age are susceptible to Internet addiction: 30-40-year-old housewives, teenagers, 50-year-old businessmen, students, and even children who are under ten. Everyone is at risk of being hooked by web applications. In February 2007 the newspaper Los Angeles Times published this story. An employee of a large computer company, who worked flawlessly for 19 years, was fired for visiting sex chats during breaks. The employee himself, a married man with two children, justified himself by saying that sex chat allows him to relieve stress that has not left him since the Vietnam War. At the time of the publication of the article, his claim for illegal dismissal was considered by the court.
Many children and teens may not literally be addicted, but new technologies are preventing them from thinking clearly. The anterior cingulate cortex in their brains gives way under the onslaught of dopamine when they exchange text messages with friends. SMS-correspondence while driving (especially if it is a teenage driver) is very often the cause of fatal car accidents. While texting is more distracting than talking on the phone, in the US as of July 2007, only a handful of states had made it illegal to text while driving.
Top managers have a special reason not to let their Blackberries out of their hands - it's a game called BrickBreaker. Lawyers, bankers and hedge fund managers admit they have "caught the brick mania". The player uses two keys to move a special platform left and right so that the ball that bounces off it knocks down another brick at the top of the screen. Many people share their strategy in chats, boast about their records and do not hide their admiration for the brick gurus who have scored over a million points. Top managers admit to playing during “phone conferences” and sports, and many have gotten so engrossed in the game that they had to remove it from their communicators because they couldn't resist the temptation to play in the workplace.
A recent study from Stanford University found that 14 percent of computer users neglect school, work, family responsibilities, food, and sleep in order to be online. The Internet is becoming the main entertainment and source of information before our eyes, and may soon become more popular than traditional television.
Students who find it difficult to adjust to campus life are reported to use the internet especially frequently to relieve stress. Instead of overcoming difficulties in direct communication with classmates, they find solace in social networks, e-mail correspondence, Internet messengers and chat rooms. Online life is easier to arrange than real life. More than 18 percent of students suffer from Internet addiction, and another 58 percent complain that excessive use of the Internet prevents them from studying and attending classes, and ultimately affects their grades.
It is not the Internet itself that causes addiction, but some specific activity on the Web. People get addicted to database searches, online dating, online shopping, porn sites - or even checking their own email. Others are kept online by online casinos, online trading, computer games and ICQ.
Even if you don't have an addiction to the Internet and related technologies, they continually lure you - and may eventually lure you. To find out if you have this problem, take a look at the Technology Addiction Questionnaire (see Chapter 6).
New technologies are so enticing because they give us the illusion of being in control. The computer quickly and obediently executes our commands. We can turn it on or off whenever we want. And we can reboot or send to sleep mode. We are free to manage our network communication or, if we want, not to communicate on the Web at all.
However, for those who are prone to addictions, this feeling will be deceptive. The screen, keyboard and mouse become part of a person - a special umbilical cord of "hardware" and "software" that connects him with the vast world where everyone is united by the Internet. Active users admit that on the Web they feel anonymous and absolutely free, and therefore they are extremely frank and share the most intimate details about their lives with their Internet friends - in ordinary, real, reality, they would never allow themselves to do this. Many people take pleasure in appearing on the Web on behalf of fictional characters. However, not everyone is aware that if you write about your thoughts and feelings on the Internet, this information becomes public once and for all - and is available not only to friends and family members, but also, for example, to colleagues or those who will hire you for a new job. And, of course, people who do not share your interests. Blogs are becoming more and more popular, and now bosses are beginning to monitor the diaries of their subordinates and do not hesitate to fire those who, with their entries, jeopardize the image of the company or brand.
Michael Hanscom, contributor Microsoft from Seattle, once noticed that several computers were brought to the corporate warehouse power mac G5 production Apple. Even Microsoft and write programs for Apple, and simply showing an interest in competitors' technologies, Hansky found it amusing to see Macs on the way to his company's office. He posted the photo on his blog with the comment “It seems that someone from Microsoft Got new toys. The next day he was fired.
Both blogs and online shopping threaten addicted people with a wide variety of troubles, not necessarily related to work. Addiction is not acquired overnight: habit-forming behaviors build up over time. It usually happens like this: at first a person goes online from time to time, but the emotional response and time spent on the Web grow and the brain needs an increasing dose of dopamine. Soon a psychological addiction sets in, which makes a person feel uncomfortable if he is not on the Internet. Then the person develops addiction to the Web. Now the user feels the need to spend more time online and perhaps look for more exciting sites. Truly addicted people refuse to admit that they find it difficult to control their online activities. Even if they don't spend much time on the computer, the craving for the Internet makes it difficult to lead a normal life in the real world - work, communicate with family and maintain relationships with other people.
Everyone has their own reasons for addiction. A lot is determined by genes. Some people inherit a tendency to get hooked on anything, and the Internet is full of the same temptations as the real world: there is gambling, food, sex and shopping here too. Some seek refuge on the Internet from depression, fears, boredom, or conflicts with other people. Many teenagers get addicted to interactive network entertainment - chats, social networks, computer games - simply under peer pressure.
Addicts experts say internet addicts are characterized by mood swings, addiction, withdrawal, and relapse (see sidebar). By some estimates, 10 percent of all users meet the addiction criteria, which are equally valid for pathological gamblers, gamers, and victims of shopping addiction. Let's remember: they are addicted not to substances - be it drugs, alcohol, nicotine or food - but to the process. However, if a drug addict, alcoholic or glutton, who decided to fight a bad habit, hopes to finally “tie up” with his vicious occupation (food, of course, we do not take into account), then Internet addicts simply tend to go online less often. By the way, the American Medical Association recently recommended further research on the following question: is it worth adding Internet addiction and addiction to computer games to the list of official diagnoses?
SUGGESTED CRITERIA FOR INTERNET DEPENDENCE
The following conditions are necessary:
Preoccupation: the person reflects on previous Internet sessions or constantly thinks about when the next opportunity will be;
Addictive: to enjoy the Internet, each time it takes more and more time;
Loss of control: a person is not able to permanently stop using the Internet or spend less time on the Web;
Rejection syndrome: attempts to stop using the Internet or spend less time on the Web cause a surge of anxiety, irritability, and similar mood swings;
Long stay in the Web: a person regularly spends more time on the Web than he intended;
In addition, one or more of the following conditions must be met:
Loss of energy: using the Internet leads to loss of work, severing close relationships with someone, interferes with career growth and study;
Disguise: the user lies to others to hide what they are doing online;
Escape from reality: on the Web, a person seeks solace, hides from problems or tries to avoid the difficulties of face-to-face communication.
Internet addicts tend to spend forty or more hours a week on the Web - and that's not counting computer work in the office. If you count how many hours it takes to eat, work, travel to and from the office, change clothes and shower, then you have four to five hours a day to sleep. Then the user will wake up and sit down at the keyboard again. When friends and family ask how much time they spend online, internet addicts tend to lie and become defensive. Apathy, depression, fear, anxiety, fatigue, irritability and clouded consciousness are a common condition for such people.
Internet addiction has not only a mental, but also a physical side. Those who look at the monitor for too long get tired eyes, numb muscles and often have a headache. The letters on the screen look less clear than on paper. Monitor contrast is usually lower than it should be, and glare from a glossy screen makes it hard to see. Regular use of a computer mouse causes tendonitis (degeneration of tendon tissues) and spasms of the muscles of the hand and shoulder. Because both vision and joint mobility deteriorate with age, older people are more likely to develop these symptoms, although computer abuse can cause them at any age. A recent study showed that adolescents who spend more than two hours a day on a computer are more likely to complain of pain in their shoulders, neck, and lower back.
E-MAIL OBSESSED
Now, when it is not a problem for most of us to access the Web at any time, many prefer to get news not from newspapers and magazines, but on the Internet. Those same people are constantly checking their e-mail while doing many more things online. Mobile devices make it possible to read emails during business meetings, corporate field trips, school football games (where parents come to cheer for their children with their gadgets), and even during church services. Among the heads of companies included in the list Fortune 500, there are those who check their mail after every golf swing. Moreover, some people agree to spend their holidays only where high-speed Internet is available at any given time.
For many of us, checking email is so addictive that it becomes an operant conditioned reflex - this means that behavior is determined by its consequences (see Checking mail, you get an intermittent positive response. From time to time mail brings good news: an old acquaintance showed up, sent a funny an anecdote or your request received an answer that you have been waiting for a long time.It happens that the news is completely excellent: well, for example, a winning lottery ticket that you thought was lost turned up in the laundry.However, more often letters arrive as letters, just boring, but sometimes downright unpleasant. Or even spam. You can’t know in advance whether you will enjoy the next check of mail, so you check it again and again. Behavioral psychologists have detailed how such behavior shapes rewards and punishments. It turned out that only rewards in a row - that is, only good news - motivate worse than rewards, randomly interspersed punishments mi. Like compulsive gamblers, mail users repeat the compulsive action over and over again because they hope they will break the bank the next time they try. The neural networks of the brain are prepared in advance for such a development of events.
ELECTRONIC MAIL AND OPERATOR CONDITIONED REFLEX
HOW TO GET ON THE HOOK
Let's say you've read the first few messages, and there's nothing good: spam, unfunny jokes, a chain letter, and a reminder of an unpleasant duty you're trying to evade. The thought creeps into my head, not whether to send all this mail to hell. The faces below represent neural networks that produce negative emotions:
Suddenly, a letter arrives with good news. Let's say you get promoted. Or the wife reports that her son has only fives in his diary.
A joyful letter will trigger a completely different mechanism: neurons will release a dose of dopamine. This will reinforce your habit of checking your email regularly. Now you are ready to read more and more new messages, expecting that luck will smile on you in the end:
The operant conditioned reflex, when the sequence of actions determines future behavior, is an extremely powerful mechanism. It manages dependencies and obsessions. Imagine that all your emails use only the "happy" neural network:
Then a new letter with good news will work much weaker: you will experience the same ordinary pleasure as from a warm shower or withdrawing money from an ATM.
Despite the fact that checking mail is addictive, it has something to counter. Addictive behaviorists and health centers already offer all sorts of programs to combat a variety of addictions to new technologies (see Chapter 7). For example, in Pennsylvania, the author of many trainings for top managers has developed another “twelve-step program” to combat email addiction. His clients admitted: because of the mail, their performance drops, and problems arise in everyday life.
COMPUTER GAMES: YOU CAN'T DO ONE
He took the skate to the pantry, where a bicycle, a basketball and a football uniform were already gathering dust. Eleven-year-old Ryan hadn't touched any of this for weeks, if not months, probably since he started playing the Game. Run from school, do some homework - and quickly to the second floor, where, sitting at the computer, he will turn into the Farlander Swordsman, the Guardian of the Great Plan. Many of his friends are here, and for them he is a god: only he, Ryan, has reached level 10. No matter how hard friends try, no matter how many hours they devote to the Game, the 10th level is too tough for them. Of course, Ryan (that is, of course, the Swordsman) for this had to kill some of his friends, seize all their treasures and steal their bonuses - but you can’t get away from this in the Game.
In the midst of a showdown with his best friend Dylan (called Titanus, Emperor of Horus in the Game), Ryan's mom walks into the room and tells him it's time for dinner. Ryan hardly recognizes her - he plunged headlong into the fight with the enemy. Defeating Titanus promises him mountains of treasure and a few more bonuses. The thought that this will upset a friend and push him back to the 1st level is now inopportune.
Ryan's mom, who is dead tired of this stupid computer game, already regrets that she bought her son. She repeats louder, “Dinner time. Can you hear me, Ryan?" "Yeah, yeah," Ryan replies without looking up from the screen. “Perhaps you misunderstood me. I said now." - "Okay, I'll just kill one reptile and come." - "Not. You won't kill any bastard. Let's go. Immediately". - Ryan's mom walks over to the computer and presses the power button. Ryan jumps up and shouts: “Mom, what have you done?! I didn't have time to save! Now I'm back at level one." - “I have a better idea. Why don't you be a normal kid again? I'm throwing out your game. - She takes out a CD from the tray, without which it is impossible to start the game, kisses Ryan on the cheek and says: “Wash your hands, honey, we have fried chicken for dinner.” - “I hate chicken! - screams Ryan. - I am the Swordsman!" Mom breaks into a smile: “That's great. You can chop the chicken."
For many years, television was the main entertainment, but today's youth chooses computer games. The Interactive Computer Software Association estimated that approximately 145 million people played them in 2006, or 60 percent of the US population. White women prefer to communicate with friends on social networks like myspace or Facebook, in chats and online messengers; 80 percent of the audience of online games are young males, and this is not only teenagers: the average age of players is 28 years old.
Online gaming sites are called "sticky sites" because players "stick" to them for a long time. A special study showed that those who play everquest(it's a fantasy computer game) spend an average of 22 hours a week playing it.
Players move around in a virtual 3D space, chatting with friends or thousands of other players in real time. They drive racing cars, conquer the fantastic worlds of the future, settle in futuristic landscapes, or, conversely, are transported to the past. Many at some point even begin to identify themselves with the characters in the game. Having collected enough weapons and points, the game goes to the next level. Often, players flee to the cyber worlds in order to enjoy power and strength there that are not available to them in reality, where apathy and loneliness await them.
For many, role-playing games on the Internet are becoming something like social networks, but only deployed in a fictional world. Relations between the characters are transferred to real life and begin to displace real relationships between people. It was recently reported that a 53-year-old man (let's call him N) spent second life fourteen hours a day. In virtual reality, he was hiding behind the mask of a successful entrepreneur, although in fact he worked as an operator in a call center (telephone support service). In the game world, hero N met a girl heroine (who was controlled by a real woman in the real world). Their virtual romance developed rapidly, and finally the virtual heroes got married. The man claimed that he “really cared about her,” but did not plan a real meeting with the mistress of his heroine at all. N's real wife complained that the game distracted him from family affairs and work and that their personal lives were in danger of collapse. N himself objected that his real wife was simply jealous of his virtual one.
Games lure people into virtual reality and suppress the development of the frontal lobes in adolescents (see Chapter 2). The mechanisms of influence of games on the brain are such that dependence on them comes easier and faster. During play, neurons release dopamine, so we experience both intense pleasure and a sense of control over the situation at the same time. Gamers admit: virtual social networks that appear in the worlds of the game are a source of additional pleasure.
INTERNET PORNOGRAPHY ADDITION
The Internet is filled with pictures, texts and videos on the topic of sex, and finding them is easy (especially if there are no special programs for “parental control” on the computer). Even though only 4 percent of websites contain such materials, at least one in three Internet users were specifically interested in them. 40 million Americans visit porn sites at least once a month. 35 percent of all files transferred over the Web are pornography. Some limit themselves to sending e-mails with obscene anecdotes or pictures. Less innocent manifestations of sex gather a much larger audience on the Web. Network pornography captivates with its availability, cheapness and anonymity.
Although there is less pornography on the Web than anything else, it is nonetheless fairly well represented. Search engines find more than 400 million pages for the query "sex". Dr. Amanda Spink and colleagues at the University of Pennsylvania analyzed patterns of Internet searches for sex-related materials - and found that such search "floats" on the Web are longer than usual, and the query chain is longer. Of 100 sex-related searches, 40 took more than 6 minutes. In other cases - only 22 out of 100: the difference is obvious. "Sexually colored" queries are usually simple keywords: "naked" (nude), "sex" (sex), "naked" (naked). However, if a person asks Google not about sex, then the query language (within one session) is more complex and richer.
Cybersex is in demand even by those who have a partner in real life (for example, two lovers who live far from each other can engage in it). However, problems are inevitable if strangers become partners in cybersex or if this activity is repeated and addictive. For those who are genetically (or otherwise) predisposed to addiction, viewing pornographic pictures or exchanging sexually tinged messages can become a habit. The availability of the Internet and online anonymity make cybersex an activity that is quite difficult to give up.
Some people “get hooked” on erotic photos and porn videos, others eventually become not enough with just sex in the virtual space. Often the craving for Internet pornography is just one side of the sex addiction that can manifest itself in many ways outside of the Web.
Sexually themed images serve as a signal for the release of dopamine: this is similar to the neurochemical processes in the brain of a drug addict who has just taken a dose of cocaine or heroin. A sexually addicted person is able to spend half the night looking for a picture that will work as it should and turn on the dopamine “reward system”. The prefrontal cortex in such people switches to search, store and extract information that can satisfy the insatiable brain, and it constantly requires a new dose of dopamine.
With about 70 percent of companies providing their employees with access to the Web, cybersex is a headache for many employers. A 2006 study of more than 3,400 volunteers found that the high availability of the Internet makes "sex-oriented" activity at work inevitable, and that the more time spent on porn sites, the lower productivity. One corporate study found that 41 percent of those who were reprimanded for using their work computer for other than business purposes watched pornography at work.
LAS VEGAS ON THE KEYBOARD
Gambling was addictive a hundred and two hundred years ago. Using this example, it is most convenient to explain the model of the operant conditioned reflex, where the main role is played by “intermittent rewards”. A single big win (which is backed by a fluke) forces you to make risky bets again and again. Pathological players often ruin the lives of themselves and those around them, whom they annoy with their financial difficulties and mental trauma. One in four of Gamblers Anonymous complains that because of their addiction to the game, they lost either their job, their family, or both.
Games and high technology have been coexisting side by side for a long time: “one-armed bandits” have been replaced by sites where you place bets without leaving your home. Illegal online casinos, available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, are experiencing an incredible rise. In 2005, 4 percent of Americans visited online casinos, with 40 percent of them playing online for less than a year, and 70 percent for less than two years.
When bets are made on the Web, and electronic dollars are at stake, parting with them is not as pitiful as with paper ones. Hence the huge debts, and excessive passion for the game. Online casinos are not very careful to ensure that all players are of legal age (by law, minors cannot play). At times, unscrupulous owners of online casinos registered offshore instantly erase their site and steal credit card numbers, but there is practically no legal way to call them to account. Some sites add the term "gambling" (compulsive gaming) to the list of keywords. This move is designed for players who are already struggling with their addiction and are looking for advice on Google - but they get straight to the online casino. It is possible to limit the scope of the industry by law, and US officials have become more strict in applying existing laws. In 2006, Congress passed the Illegal Gambling Act, which directs banks and credit card companies to block money transfers to online casinos.
Those who play online have a higher risk of gambling addiction than those who go to brick-and-mortar casinos. Dr. George Ladd and Dr. Nancy Petrie of the University of Connecticut found that out of a sample of 400 people, only 8 percent were online gamers, yet 74 percent of those players were truly addicted to the game. For comparison, only 22 percent of visitors to ordinary casinos are addicted.
Research shows that the dopamine we already know - the small molecule to which we owe a sense of pleasure and a desire to seek new rewards - also contributes to the addiction to the game. Physicians at the Mayo Clinic and other medical centers recently published a paper on patients with Parkinson's disease taking a drug that closely resembles that of dopamine. The drug eliminated the tremors associated with parkinsonism, but several patients developed problems with online casinos and compulsive sexual behavior, as well as excesses in online shopping. Fortunately, the symptoms subsided when one was reduced the dose of the drug, and the other was stopped from giving it.
SHOPPING UNTIL YOU DROP
The astonishing rise of online shopping sometimes makes us think that everything can be bought online. Many people are reluctant to leave their credit card number on unfamiliar sites, but sooner or later they trust PayPal or other payment systems, as the benefits of online shopping become clear to them. You no longer need to painfully search for a parking space next to the store and drag around with huge packages. You don't even have to get up from your computer: enter your keywords, compare prices, enter your credit card number, and you're done. You can even customize the configuration to your liking - whether you're buying a car, a used refrigerator, or an engraved iPod.
Unfortunately, online shopping quickly becomes an obsessive habit. Banknotes do not change hands, the cash register does not knock out a check - and as a result, the victim of a shopping addiction loses the feeling that real money is being spent. Online shopping is addictive for the same reason that regular shopping is. Each new purchase gives rise to a sweet excitement in your soul: the joy of anticipation is replaced by the joy of possession, and it is so difficult to resist the temptation!
Auctions feed the brain with even more dopamine, and addiction sets in even faster. Make a bet and beat your competitors - what could be more pleasant? Users eBay and other online auctions take the bait easily. The actual item you win is not as important as the repetitive buying ritual that gives you a thrilling experience. As with any other addiction, it is difficult for a person to realize the problem before it turns into trouble in other areas of life - hitting the wallet, work and personal well-being.
WHERE TO LOOK FOR HELP
If you have a real addiction or just aren't ready to say no to individual sites, all is not lost. Experts agree that there are many ways to overcome bad habits that we owe to the dopamine “reward system”. In the fight against addiction in its extreme manifestations, psychotherapy, twelve-step programs and, of course, the influence of family and friends are useful. But if you yourself do not want to improve, nothing will come of it.
In China, where, according to various estimates, about two million young people suffer from Internet addiction, special training has helped many thousands to recover. The government-funded Center for Internet Addiction has relied on the "carrot and stick" method and daily exercise. Addicts were helped to understand that they were not alone. Similar centers began to appear in the US and Europe.
If you think that the Internet, computer games or other high technologies threaten you or your acquaintances with addiction (see Chapter 6), then you should look for recommendations on how to counter this in Chapter 7. The method is also suitable for those who have not yet become addicted. really addicted, but spends too much time online. Other exercises for developing social skills and communication skills not only help people to spend time usefully and with pleasure without a computer, but also make their life more comfortable and harmonious.
From the book How to deal with computer addiction the author Krasnova S V From the book Skype: free calls over the Internet. Started! author Goltsman Viktor Iosifovich From the book Protecting Your Computer author Yaremchuk Sergey AkimovichPsychological dependence on a computer Based on the dynamics of gaming addiction, four stages of development of psychological dependence are distinguished, which have their own specifics. The possibility of their extension to other games and types of computer activities
From the book Computer and Health author Balovsyak Nadezhda VasilievnaDependence on electricity If there is a power outage in your home, you can always use a regular landline phone and call the emergency services. The home phone is powered directly from the telephone line, it does not need electricity. True, fashionable
From the book XSLT Technology author Valikov Alexey NikolaevichInternet Addiction There is a lot of talk today about Internet addiction. Until now, there is no unequivocal opinion on this matter; it has not been determined what specifically should be understood by this term. Some believe that such a dependence exists and should be put on a par with
From the book Meet Information Technology author Volovnik Arkady AvralevichInternet addiction - fiction or disease The Internet, like everything else in life, has two sides - black and white. In addition to the advantages, the Internet has brought certain inconveniences. The Evil Spawned by the Web Isn't Just the Porn Sites Our Minors Love to Visit
From the book Antibrain [Digital Technologies and the Brain] author Spitzer ManfredInformation addiction and oversaturation: two sides of the coin Nowadays, information plays a huge role in people's lives. For some, such as businessmen, it is the basis of work activity. Increased need for information, as well as
From the book Computerra Digital Magazine No. 224 author Computerra magazineChapter 12. Technology Development The last chapter of the book allows you to jump ahead a bit and predict what will happen to the XSLT language in its next versions. The conclusions in this chapter are based on the changes proposed in the XSLT 1.1 draft and on the requirements
From the book Architects of the Computer World author Chastikov ArkadyChapter 12 Development of Technology As you know, the success of technology depends not only on how well thought out and developed it was. Its wide distribution is impossible without the support and interest of leading software manufacturers. In this sense, XSLT
From the author's bookChapter 1 Modern world. The era of information technology One of the paradoxes of the development of mankind is that throughout its development, a person used, accumulated, transmitted information without understanding or even thinking about it. Real civilization
From the author's book12. Insomnia, depression, addiction, and bodily consequences The harmful effects of the transformation of our real-life environment into a digital one affect not only our spirits but also our bodies in a wide variety of ways. And since our spirit dwells in
From the author's bookRadio Day and ERP addiction Mikhail Vannakh Posted on May 07, 2014 Today Russia celebrates Radio Day. The memory of the experiments carried out 119 years ago by Alexander Stepanovich Popov. Physics teacher at educational institutions of the Maritime Department,
In The Matrix Reloaded, the hero says: “Some machines help us live, while others kill us. Curious, right? The ability to give life and take it away ... ”This phrase makes you think. Let's add some more real facts here:
1. UN recognized right for access to Internet one of the inalienable human rights.
2. The best-selling commodity today is mobile phones.
3. More and more business processes are being automated and completely dependent on computers.
4. The most expensive brand in the world is the Apple brand.
The trend is obvious - technology is becoming an integral part of our lives. The fact that we need them is beyond doubt. Today the question is different: Can we survive without modern technology?
Many of you have probably heard the joke: Wikipedia: I know everything! Google: I'll find everything! Facebook: I know everyone! Internet: Without me, you are nothing! Electricity: Be silent...” We will not say what will happen to the world without electricity, at least imagine what will happen if the Internet disappears or GPS satellites stop working. How long will our Internet-dependent high-tech generation “stretch”, how long can we endure their absence. The term "addiction" has recently been increasingly applied to technology. This is also a big problem, but we are not talking about that now.
Microsoft Office has made life and work easier for company employees. They began to do much more work or the same amount, but in much less time. But deprive them of this tool, and any employee will end up in a pile of papers of unknown origin, and data analysis will turn into a very difficult task. And how will people exchange information if at least one channel (whether it be e-mail or mobile communication) disappears? When this happens even for a few hours, performance drops to zero.
Leave mankind without television and millions of people will simply have nothing to do. And it's not about those who work on television, but about those who watch it. People spend a huge amount of time in front of the TV screen. What will housewives who are used to their soap operas and cooking shows do?
What about healthcare facilities? Modern medical equipment is literally crammed with electronics, and even a small failure in its operation can cost patients their lives.
In the words of American comedian George Carlin: “The only difference between us and the barbarians is electricity. Turn it off and we'll be back in prehistoric times." Today, technology is like a creature with many limbs. If just one is cut off, humanity will have problems, and if several are cut off, then the very survival of the human race will be in jeopardy.
Perhaps all of the above is not a significant problem, and, in the end, people will cope with this, but only if some alternative technologies appear that simply do not exist now.
Based on materials
The 21st century burst into our lives very quickly and brought with it the rapid development of computer technology and everything connected with it. We are used to the fact that all our phones and important contacts are recorded in phones, computers, laptops and other portable gadgets. We completely rely on technology, we are dependent on it. Count how many computers, monitors, phones you have at home! Lot? There are probably more phones than the number of people in your family, and everyone probably has their own computer.
Why are we so dependent on modern technology and everything connected with it?
Problem
Development of addiction
Did you know that certain video games trigger the release of dopamine in the brain? Recall that dopamine is also released during sex and food, things that are considered necessary for the survival of man as a species. It turns out a vicious circle - games give an impulse for the release of dopamine, and dopamine is something like a hormone of pleasure (its narcotic analogues are amphetamine, methamphetamine, ephedrine), so later we want to get high from the game again and we sit down to play again.
But dopamine isn't only released when we play video games. Checking e-mail has exactly the same effect. Count how many times a day you check your inbox, even if there is nothing particularly important there? This is especially true of the sound signals that accompany the receipt of a new letter. You don't know if this message is important, but it's still itching to see what's in there, even if it's just another spam. It turns out directly dependence on signals and Pavlov's experiments with dogs come to mind.
As long as there were only desktop computers, the problem was not so big. But as soon as laptops, netbooks, smartphones and various gadgets like the iPad appeared, everything became much worse, because now you check your mail (twitter, facebook, VKontakte - underline as necessary) not only at home, but also in transport, in cafes, on picnic, wherever there is access to the Internet. And now here you can add mobile Internet and WiFi.
Information overload
We process three times as much information today as we did 50 years ago. And it becomes more and more. If earlier it took a lot of effort and time to print a book, now it is enough to sit down at a computer and put it on the net. Only now not only writers, journalists and various public figures write, but everyone who can write and read. Accordingly, now it is necessary to filter even more carefully and much larger amounts of information. And in spite of all this, we cannot spend even three days calmly without reading the news (especially those related to the world of technology), because we are afraid that we will miss something and will not catch up. As the black queen from "Through the Looking Glass" said - "In our world, my dear, to stay in place, you need to run, and to move, you need to run even faster."
Technology etiquette
In the past few years, "pocket" devices have been updated at a tremendous speed. Is it right to scribble empty even a short post on twitter while driving? I think no. But some do it anyway. In the same way, it will not be very polite to sit in the company of friends and bury your head on your smartphone and read the news feed there or check your mail. Please note that you are not required to respond to all messages immediately. Yes, there are cases when it is urgent, but all the same, hands reach out to check and answer. It's great when this is good news - share the positive with your friends, but if all this is not very pleasant, then you not only do not take a break from work, but also spoil the mood of the people around you.
Solution
So what can we do to stop constantly staring at screens and not spending weekends and evenings behind the console, and finally begin to see and hear the world around us and people?
Out of sight, out of mind
The usual scenario: you take your phone out of your pocket to check the time, at the same time you start checking your e-mail, this leads to a response to letters, etc. As a result, a simple and short operation “check the time” turns into a whole set of operations that takes 5 times more time. If you pulled out your phone to check the time, try to do just that and no more. If it’s very difficult to resist checking your mail, wear a watch on your hand.
You are not a multi-tasking machine
This does not mean that now all things need to be done separately. Listening to your favorite tracks while running can also be attributed to multitasking, but this is welcome. But an attempt to simultaneously watch a TV show or a movie and perform work at this time is not very welcome. You will not be able to properly concentrate on work and miss the most interesting part of the program. In the end, the constant combination of things will lead to the fact that you simply can no longer concentrate normally on only one thing. As a result, the work will not be done as well in a longer time. This also includes working on a computer on a project and simultaneously checking messages in instant messengers, twitter and social networks. For an experiment, try to turn off everything unnecessary and focus only on work. I think it will take you two times less time than with the included instant messengers and open social networks.
never apologize
How often do you apologize for not being able to pick up the phone because you were riding the subway/walking with your child/working out at the gym? First, you don't have to apologize for being unavailable after hours. Second, it shows your addiction to responding to messages immediately. Stop apologizing. You are human and just might not be able to do everything right now. Allow yourself the luxury of replying to a message when you have the opportunity and the mood to do so. Of course, this does not mean that you can safely ignore emails from clients during business hours. Otherwise, people may get the not-so-true feeling that you can answer calls and emails at any day and time of the day.
Organize your time
We usually talk more about organizing our time than we actually do it. Start with mail! Many email clients offer you very handy tools for this business (folders, shortcuts, etc.). " " from Google will come in handy for dividing your posts into just "important" and "very important". At the moment there is only a beta version available not for everyone.
In any case, getting out of the habit of always and everywhere being inseparable from your devices and staying without communication for a long time does not go painlessly. Get ready, you're going to have a breakdown anyway and a little panic that you've missed something. But it's worth it. You will feel much freer and the state of "always connected" gives only visible freedom, actually tying us tightly to the technology and places of "residence" of the Internet.