Less social media = more happy
I've been reading Irresistible: The Rise of Addictive Technology and the Business of Keeping Us Hooked. I'm only halfway through. So far, the book has focused mostly on the science behind behavioural addiction, including gaming and gambling addiction.
World of Warcraft? The most dangerously addictive game on the market.
The casino slot machines with the bright, pulsating lights and merry, loud sounds? Designed to keep you in your seat, mindless.
Facebook's "like" button? Hard to overestimate how this little button has changed the landscape. Its inventor, who later removed the Facebook app from his phone, described the "like" button as "bright dings of pseudo-pleasure."
Instagram likes? Same thing. I rue the day I encouraged my friends to "like" the bakery account. It's really a shitty thing to do to people you like.
The book started off with a sobering prologue titled "Never Get High on Your Own Supply," the maxim of drug dealers everywhere. It talked about how Steve Jobs and other tech founders don't let their children use iPad or iPhones or other technology because they are aware of how addictive they are.
I'm only about halfway through it but have since made a conscious effort to cut back on my iPhone use (apparently, the average American checks their phones 46 times a day), as well as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Do you ever catch yourself mindlessly refreshing or scrolling down a wall or a feed that never ends EVEN THOUGH YOU KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING IS DUMB? It truly begs the question: Why do we do this? Even though we know it is not healthy for our mental, emotional and physical health?
Knowing this technology was designed to lure users and keep them distracted, addicted, and mindless helps. I refuse to let it suck me in. I don't even want to use a Fitbit anymore, or use any kind of wearable tech, because I don't want to get stuck on numbers and counting and mini-goals, the same way some days I get fixated on fixing the entries in my iPhone calendar. I'd like to go back to my paper-and-pen day planner. Read more. Think deeper. Live richer.
So it is in this spirit I share this tweet I came across tonight (I realize the irony in sharing information I found on a social media platform I've vowed to curtail; my excuse is I'm at work tonight, and Twitter remains a professional necessity).
Merry Christmas, everyone.
