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Is social media more like cigarettes or junk food?

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Re: Is social media more like cigarettes or junk food?

#21

Post by djtango »

superkuh wrote: post #18
reedf1 wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm pretty sure all things you experience in this world can "directly biochemically alter the body". This isn't all that pedantic a point either. Your body directly produces neurochemicals from sense data, and, that includes the photons bouncing off of a like button, the particular movement of a scrolling finger, or the sonic vibration of a phone notification. It wasn't so long ago that people balked at food addictio…

I mean there is the introduction of a chemical into the blood stream that acts on neurons. This does not happen with screens and speakers.

A father of a newborn child produces less testosterone...

From what I know this is not explained by just sleep deprivation. So here we have no direct chemical transfer altering the physiological state of a man via external stimulus.

So if a baby can chemically alter a father, why can't highly stimulating lights and sounds?

Many years back I had a pretty strong detox from smartphones and videogames lasting about 2 years. When I first played a mobile game, I was so stimulated by it I found it hard to sleep properly for the first few weeks of playing. Later on my brain adjusted but now I probably have some kind of habitual need for dopamine...

Re: Is social media more like cigarettes or junk food?

#22

Post by tbrownaw »

superkuh wrote: post #19
tbrownaw wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> cause a biochemical reaction in the brain? That's rather meaningless. I don't think there's much of anything you can look at, or do, or think about, without brain activity being somehow involved. What with the brain being where thoughts live.

I mean there is the introduction of a chemical into the blood stream that acts on neurons. This does not happen with screens and speakers. It is not meaningless. In fact it's a super important distinction. By pretending that multimedia can directly alter someone's behavior you throw out the entire idea of human volition. Even if it were true on some level our entire legal code and indeed western society is based on t…

> I mean there is the introduction of a chemical into the blood stream that acts on neurons. This does not happen with screens and speakers.

What are the actual mechanics behind how scary movies make people jumpy? Or behind news articles pushing people to "I'm literally shaking" levels of anger? Or to stick with the theme from ancestor comments, behind the thing I've heard called "post-nut clarity" (whatever it's actual proper name is)?

Re: Is social media more like cigarettes or junk food?

#24

Post by drdeca »

superkuh wrote: post #3

[flagged]

Q: Is a cast iron frying pan more like a crow or a bluebird?

A?: Neither, because it isn’t a bird.

Q: Is a cube more like a square or a circle?

A?: Neither, as it isn’t a 2D shape.

Q: Is a lightsaber more like a rapier or a pistol?

A?: Neither, as lightsabers are not real weapons.

Re: Is social media more like cigarettes or junk food?

#25

Post by djtango »

superkuh wrote: post #20
ArloL wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What about gambling addiction?

You'll find it's actually "gambling disorder" and it's the only behavioral disorder of it's type grandfathered in to the DSM.

What is gambling? Does it need to involve money? What is money? Money is a human invention.

So is gambling about resources, power and status? If so then can gambling CS skins count? What about candy crush lootboxes?

If gambling is about risk, does parkour and base jumping count?

One of the most insidious forms of "gambling" I've seen is probably PvP matchmaking. I am fairly certain that games from Supercell have rigged their matchmaking to engineer a degree of frustration to keep you hooked. When you tie that to a ranking ladder it can get quite easy to get hooked

Re: Is social media more like cigarettes or junk food?

#27

Post by Ringz »

superkuh wrote: post #3

[flagged]

I think there are arguments for both sides, and it is far from being discussed since evidence suggests that excessive social media use can lead to behaviors resembling addiction. There are issues like depression, anxiety, and poor sleep [1][2][4]. It triggers brain responses similar to addictive substances, reinforcing compulsive use[5][8]. Some studies argue that it may not meet the clinical criteria for addiction[3][7].

There is need for further investigation

[1] Is social media bad for you? The evidence and the unknowns - BBC https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20180104-is-social-media-... [2] Social Media Addiction Statistics - The Lanier Law Firm https://www.lanierlawfirm.com/social-media-addiction/statist... [3] Is social media addictive? 'Digital detox' study suggests not - Science https://www.science.org/content/article/social-media-addicti... [4] Research trends in social media addiction and problematic social ... https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9707397/ [5] The Addictiveness of Social Media: How Teens Get Hooked https://www.jeffersonhealth.org/your-health/living-well/the-... [6] Our Social Media Addiction - Harvard Business Review https://hbr.org/2022/11/our-social-media-addiction [7] Special Report: Is Social Media Misuse A Bad Habit or Harmful ... https://psychiatryonline.org/doi/full/10.1176/appi.pn.2024.0... [8] Addictive potential of social media, explained - Stanford' SCOPE https://scopeblog.stanford.edu/2021/10/29/addictive-potentia...

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