Constant Craving: Digital Junkies

Smartphone is now one of our organs, not inside our body or part of our
body but sticked to us in our hands and not letting it go even for a
second. Our eyes are constantly glued to its screen and repeatedly
scrolling various apps, games etc. Our digital addiction has made us
junkies not of drugs but of Digital Screen or Digital World.

I had never thought that there will be a time when I will use phone for
every activity from searching to chatting to playing games or to just
scrolling and killing my time, it’s not only me, we all are glues to
this thing which is Smart Phone, I say right word chosen “Smart”,
because the smartness of this device made us lazy, lethargic and made us
stop using our mind. We are so dependent on this device that we cannot
even move from one place to another without GPS. We used to travel
earlier also right, we used to go to places without GPS, we used our
mind and navigation techniques and reached our destinations. But now our
thinking power has gone to toss, because we cannot think and makes
decision now, it’s our smart phone which decides our thought process.

Our world has become so virtual that we have lost the feelings, in real
sense. The only relationship we know now is in virtual world, people
chat with friends and family on chat apps, but when say by chance they
are together they struggle to talk or express things. We have become so
addicted that on our dinner table or in restaurant, rather than enjoying
meal and time with family or friends we are stuck into Smart Screen and
keep scrolling. Because our thought process is zero, we don’t know what
to talk or what to talk about. People have started revolutions and
debates on Twitter, WhatsApp, FB (Now Meta), Instagram, rather than in
person, isn’t this bizarre. Various groups and even political system is
fighting and debating on social media but not in person.

Dr Anna Lembke, a world-leading expert on addiction in her 2021 book,
Dopamine Nation, emphasizes that we are now all addicts to a degree. She
calls the smartphone the “modern-day hypodermic needle”: we turn to it
for quick hits, seeking attention, validation, and distraction with each
swipe, like and tweet. Since the turn of the millennium, behavioral (as
opposed to substance) addictions have soared. Every spare second is an
opportunity to be stimulated, whether by entering the TikTok vortex,
scrolling Instagram, swiping through Tinder or bingeing on porn, online
gambling, and e-shopping. “We’re seeing a huge explosion in the numbers
of people struggling with minor addictions,” says Lembke.

Addiction is a spectrum disorder: it’s not as simple as being an addict
or not being an addict. It’s deemed worthy of clinical care when it
“significantly interferes” with someone’s life and ability to function,
but when it comes to minor digital attachments, the effect is
pernicious. “It gets into philosophical questions: how is the time I’m
spending on my phone in subtle ways affecting my ability to be a good
parent, spouse or friend?” says Lembke. “I do believe there is a cost –
one that I don’t think we fully recognize because it’s hard to [see it]
when you’re in it.”

We all know about Dopamine, hormone which makes us feel happy, good and
gives us a kick or thrill. Dopamine motivates us to do things we think
will bring pleasure. So, using the smartphone constantly gives us that
pleasure and kick, which is making us stop thinking what is it resulting
into, and the effects we are going to face from it. Although dopamine
was only identified by scientists in 1957, seeking pleasure is hardwired
into our brains. With addiction, about 50% is down to genetic
disposition, with the other 50% coming from environmental factors such
as access, says Lembke. Our brains haven’t changed much over the
centuries, but access to addictive things certainly has. Whereas our
ancestors put all their efforts into seeking a mate and tasty food, we
can find those, and much more besides, with the click of an app. “It’s
very different from how life used to be, when we had to tolerate a lot
more distress,” says Lembke. “We’re losing our capacity to delay
gratification, solve problems and deal with frustration and pain in its
many different forms.”

We need to stop this addiction, come out of your screen, and reel
virtual distracting world, start living and divert your thought process
towards something concrete and healthy. So, same way as the cigarette
addict does, reduce number of smokes, distract mind to avoid those
thoughts, same we must do related to digital addiction. Use less phone
and start running, gym, writing etc. Whenever you feel urge to open
phone, think is it important or I can do something better, I am not
saying we need to stop using phone, what I am saying is we need to stop
getting glued to it and rather utilize our time in better things. Like,
in your free time rather than scrolling, listen to music, read a book,
maybe cook something for you. Talk to your family, friends rather than
chat. Take a step, its important avoid getting into junkie mode. The
purpose of that time away, says Lembke, is to reset our brain’s pathways
and gain perspective on how our dependency affects us. The goal is
generally not to banish it forever, but to figure out how to enjoy it in
moderation – that most elusive of things. Some will realize they cannot
enjoy it without going too far but usually “self-binding” techniques
should help with finding a balance.

Many of these ideas are familiar: we’ve all heard about digital detoxes
and mindfulness practices, I had written an article in Digital Detox,
how we need to get ourselves out of digital world and now I am writing
again as I see the thing with people has become worse, people are
walking on road, but eyes are on screen and many met with an accident,
isn’t this crazy. Once, I had almost hit a girl as she was crossing the
road while looking at her phone, I was furious as it would have been
mess, she would have got hurt or may be killed and I had to face the
consequences. Imagine?

So, think about your mind and your health. Don’t let your brain die
because you are not letting it think or work. Build real relationship
with friends and family rather than getting stuck into virtual world and
feeling good factor, its not good factor its digital mess, avoid it.
Start switching OFF the phones when you sleep, enjoy your weekends out
and not on the screen. Be healthy and adopt healthy lifestyle in real
world.