11/29/19
Are Media companies deliberately increasing screen addiction?
Screen addictions is a term that can be defined as an individual being heavily dependent on screens to function. With that we ask ourselves are media companies deliberately increasing screen addiction? The short answer is yes, even though it varies from person to person, everyone in this day and age is affected by this disease. The growing youth most commonly depict the symptoms of screen addiction, such as decreases social skills, inability to function in society, and sometimes physical health issues. The underlying cause everyone would commonly assume is the increase of technology in our homes leading to the younger generations are growing up with more and more technology around them causing issues during growth at early ages. But the truth is that big tech companies are deliberately designing their products to be more addictive, which entices their users.
A common question that arises with these topics is why are companies doing this? Well it has a common but simple answer, money. Media companies have advertisers who pay them to show advertisements on their websites or property, the more an individual watches an ad the more revenue goes to the establishment. During an interview with Richard Freed, a behavioral Scientist at Stanford University, mentions the overarching design of big tech companies, the “formula is that in order to have behavioral change, you need motivation, ability, and triggers” (Lieber 1). This means to have someone hooked on their screen you need a spark to start the fire, this can take form in many different shapes. For “social media, the motivation is people’s cravings for social connection; it can also be the fear of social rejection. For video games, it’s
the desire to gain skills and accomplishments” (Lieber 1). “Big Tech now employs mental health experts to use persuasive technology”, they purposefully create products that have a “persuasive design” (Lieber 1). A prime example of this is Facebook, a multi-billion dollar corporation, heavily relies on methods of increasing screen addiction to make a profit. One of these methods is “targeted advertisements”, in which Facebook uses the “ massive amount of personal data on its user base” to create ads specifically targeted to an audience and sometimes and individual (O’Connell, 1). These recommended ads use your personal information to create advertisements that are tailored to your preferences causing you to stay on their site longer which leads to more exposure for other ads. On way Facebook increases exposure of the advertisers ads is to “save up notifications and give them to you on a schedule that they believe will most likely stimulate you to get you back” (Lieber 1). Facebook purchased Instagram in 2012 for $1 billion as well as WhatsApp for $19 billion in 2014, on both applications Facebook has implemented advertisements and “advertisers would love to crack” WhatsApp due to how “pervasive [it is] not just in the U.S., but all over the world” (O’Connell 1). Facebook is only one of the companies attempting to increase screen time, another company is Youtube with their Autoplay feature which continues the video unless manually turned off by its user. Overall organizations are deliberately making their products more addicted by hiring mental behavioral scientists and psychologists, which increases their revenue.
These tactics affect both adults and children, adults are being “affected by not working [At their jobs] properly and are getting more distracted. But kids are being robbed” (Leiber). Children are taking the brunt of the tactics of big tech companies and are being heavily affected because they are still developing. Kids social skills are being affected since they are being pulled away “from real-life engagements like family, focusing on school, [and] making friends” which only further increases the issues caused by screen addiction. Boys are more likely to be addicted to video games leading to “bad habits and statistically poor academic performance” while girls are more attracted to social media which “can be hurtful for young girls and there’s been an increase in suicide” (Lieber 1). Rewards systems in games entice manly males since it gives them a feeling of accomplishment, such as “coins or cash boxes” (Lieber 1). Teenagers are one of the most commonly targets audience since they are “sensitive to social situations, like being accepted or rejected” social media uses these insecurities to create a facade (Lieber 1). But not all issues are psychological or social; some can be physical if left uncontrolled. If children are introduced to screens at an earlier age and develop an addiction it can lead to physical brain issues as stated by Dr. Dunckley, “excessive screen time appears to impair brain structure and function” (Dunckley 1). There also has been a correlation with screen time and brain atrophy, “shrinkage or loss of tissue volume of the brain”, this portion of the brain process organization and a higher level of thinking.
In conclusion, screen addiction has been increasing along with technology and we should start to limit it for our youth. Companies that make money off these users do not care for their well being as long as they are making money. All rewards systems in games and social media apps for logging on every day release dopamine which is very similar to a drug craving, every now and they the user would depict withdraw. So the youth in particular are vulnerable to health issues caused by screen addiction because their brains are still developing and can lead to permanent damage to the frontal lobe which “determines success in every area of life” including “academic or career success”. People always have been attempting to reduce their screen addiction, so now I challenge you as the reader to determine where you stand, what will you do?
Works Cited
Dunckley Victoria L., “Gray Matters: Too Much Screen Time Damages the Brain.” Psychology Today, Sussex Publishers, https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/mental-wealth/201402/gray-matters-too-much-screen-time-damages-the-brain.
Lieber, Chavie. “Psychologists Are Speaking out against Tech Companies That Use Psychology to Lure Kids in.” Vox, Vox, 8 Aug. 2018, https://www.vox.com/2018/8/8/17664580/persuasive-technology-psychology.
O’Connell, Brian. “How Does Facebook Make Money? Six Primary Revenue Streams.” TheStreet, TheStreet, 23 Oct. 2018, https://www.thestreet.com/technology/how-does-facebook-make-money-14754098#:~:targetText=How Does Facebook Make Money?,directly through its user base.&targetText=All in all, the company,of its money from advertising.
