Addiction to Looking

The most addictive sense?

“More of our neurons are dedicated to vision than to the other four senses combined. We can easily become addicted to that which is seen, especially when the images are designed to be addictive.”

Addiction to Looking

Half of all our sensory nerves run from the eyes to the brain. No wonder, then, that we can become addicted to looking.

Digital technology is new and powerful. It's going to take time for our nervous systems to adjust. Meanwhile, we need to set some boundaries before it ruins our sanity and our health.

Many live with eyes glued to cellphones and computers, and this is no accident of convenience. Software designers measure the success of their product by "time on device." Whether we know it or not, we now live in what they call "the attention economy." The more they hold your attention, the more money they make. Facebook, Google, YouTube, all the big apps, consciously and deliberately use every trick in the book to get you addicted to using them. And what a bunch of tricks there are!

The advertising industry has been evolving its craft for a long time. When profitable businesses pay $5,000,000 for a 30-second Superbowl ad, that tells you advertising works. They wouldn't spend the money if it didn't make them more money in return.

Now there's a new wrinkle. While we look at the apps, the apps are looking right back at us. Most are recording every click, listening to the words we speak, scanning our emails for keywords, and even tracking how our eyes roam over the page via the cameras in our devices. They process the results using advanced statistics analysis and artificial intelligence. This is now called "surveillance capitalism."

Technology is great when used in a humane, compassionate way. Big Tech is not going to lead us to that humanity. We are responsible for evolving that ourselves.

How can we start to unplug from addiction to looking at computers and cellphones and instead use digital technology in a balanced, sane way?

The first step is to understand how we are being manipulated and addicted.

The Method of the Madness

Apps are designed with four parts to suck us in and keep us in:

1. Trigger

2. Action

3. Reward

4. Investment.

1. The Trigger

 The trigger is whatever gets you to engage the application. There are two types of triggers – internal and external.

 The external triggers prompt the person toward the app. This might a chime that sounds when an email comes in, an update notification on an app, or just a pop-up ad.

The goal of the external triggers is to establish internal triggers. Internal triggers are thoughts and emotional states which prompt the user to engage the app. The internal triggers are like an itch that drives the person to use the app.

The most common and powerful internal triggers are negative. Loneliness, frustration, fear, anxiety and boredom stimulate us to seek relief, and the goal of software design is to associate that relief with using the technology. But of course the relief is only transient and temporary.

 2. The Action

The trigger gets us to take some action. We feel disconnected, so we check our Facebook page. We feel bored, so we surf the web. We feel uncertain, so we search on Google. We feel cut off, so we check our emails.

The easier the action, the more addictive the app. The ideal is that the action involves only one click or swipe, and that the reward comes very quickly. The simpler the action and the faster the reward, the more addictive the app.

3. The Reward

 The reward could be many things, such as the prospect of knowledge, power or wealth. It could be pleasure at a beautiful sight. The satisfaction of curiosity is also an extremely powerful drive in humans.

But for my money, the most powerful reward that drives humans is the need to be connected to other humans. Connectivity.

One thing about reward which Ivan Pavlov discovered more than 100 years ago - any activity is more addictive if the reward is unpredictable. The variability of reward introduces an element of mystery, suspense and excitement which we find irresistible.

Just watch gamblers at a slot machine. Slots machines have an average payback per cent, which set by the casino. For example, the casino in Central City, Colorado returns, on average over time, 95% of what the player puts in. Now just imagine if every single time a player put a one dollar piece in the slot machine, 95 cents came back. Not exciting, not interesting, and definitely not addictive.

I have heard it said that Google deliberately varies the time it takes to load search results and emails exactly because variable reward time is more addictive.

The reward must be powerful, but not completely fulfilling. “Always leave them wanting more,” as P.T. Barnum allegedly put it. Incomplete fulfillment. This isn’t really an issue on smart phones or computers because all the experiences are simulated.

The pixels which make up an image of a beautiful sunset are only an echo of the true experience. The voice of our loved one that says, “I love you” over video conferencing is only a tinny reproduction. On Zoom or cell phone calls, many of the high and low frequencies of a live human voice are trimmed off to keep the bandwidth low. And that “I love you” can never come with a hug. The voice never comes with the scent of the loved one. And scent is primal.

The dynamics of all addiction are such that we are driven toward some experience, but the intensity of the experience never quite lives up to the intensity of the drive. The real piece of cake is never as fulfilling as the fantasy piece of cake. The fantasy, after all, is based on the memory of the original piece of cake. And the supernormal stimulation of that first piece of cake has already dulled our

perceptions. The first shot of whiskey is always the tastiest. The first puff of that cigarette is always the most delightful. After that, it's all downhill. 

4. Investment

Finally, some investment must be created for the user, so that they are even more motivated to return. It’s a little nudge toward further use. We build up some kind of equity above and beyond the basic reward of using the app. It's like the rewards card in stores, or the points you get for using your credit.

 One of the most powerful enticements is belonging. The need for  membership in a social group is deep and powerful within us. After all, before civilization you were pretty much dead if you didn't have a tribe. Getting in the with in-crowd, and FOMO (fear of missing out) movers a lot of us to upgrade to the paid membership.

Also, on many sites we store information, contacts and preferences. All these motivate us to return rather than using some alternate service where we would have to reenter that information and learn how to use the site all over again.

iSelf eDefense

OK, so how can we take responsibility and make technology our servant instead of being its slave? Here are some ideas:

 1. When you have a choice, prioritize on less addictive modalities.

      In-the-room human contact > Zoom;

      Zoom > Cellphone;

      Cellphone > Voice text;

      Voice Text > Written text;

      Text > Email;

      Nature > picture or video of nature.

2. Take an electronic fast. For a day, an hour, or even just five minutes, turn off all electronic devices (or at least silence them). You’ll be surprised how your nervous system settles and the world looks different.

 3. Try an electronic curfew - after a certain time of day, the electronics go off.

 4. Turn your cellphone to Grayscale. This takes the color out of it, which makes it less addictive. (for iPhone users, go into settings and search “Gray”).

5. Turn off all notifications except from living, breathing people. (look under “Settings>Notifications).

6. Try limiting your smart phone home screen to tools only. Put the attention suckers and time wasting apps over to screens that you have to swipe to reach.

 7. Charge your device outside the bedroom. Get an old-fashioned alarm clock. Studies show people sleep less when the cellphone is in the bedroom

8. Do something real first thing in the morning. Don't check your cellphone and computer right away.

9. OK, we’re getting hardcore here: Delete all social media apps off of the cellphone. (Just follow them on the computer, or not at all).

The basic currency of human life remains the same.

Technology is wondrous, powerful and extremely gratifying. I reflect with gratitude on technology every time I adjust how hot the water is in my shower. Incredible! Let's see you top that, caveman. I shiver with delight every time I adjust the thermostat in my bedroom.

But the basic currency of human life remains the same – Kindness to each other. Connection to each other. Connection to Nature and to the web of life. Let's consciously learn to bring our new technologies into our lives in a healthy way.

With a wish that all be happy and healthy,

Michael

connect

“The opposite of addiction is not abstinence.

The opposite of addiction is connection.”

-Johann Hari