If your upbringing is similar to mine, when a minor health problem comes to your parents’ attention, you immediately associate it with nearby electronic devices.Maybe I connected the stomach by mistake. Despite the pain of screen time, their intuition wasn’t entirely off the mark. Our parents were concerned about the long-term effects of continued digital connectivity.
When was the last time you ate a meal without a YouTube video? Did you walk to class without listening to music? Do you ever leave your room without your phone? How often do you work on homework? , scrolling on your phone and watching TV at the same time? Instant gratification, constant entertainment, and we can have it at the flick of a finger.
After a while, the real world becomes less appealing to us and we need more content to keep our restless minds happy.Our brains weren’t designed to be stimulated so constantly.: We go through life constantly searching for that hit of dopamine.
Dopamine is commonly misunderstood as a “happy” chemical, but it’s actually part of the brain. reward circuit system. Doing something fun, like watching a funny video or scrolling through your feed, releases dopamine, which encourages you to keep going. This system is driven only by desire. Desires can be satisfied in small doses, but if left unfulfilled, they can backfire. When our brains aren’t satisfied with the dopamine released by the stimulation we receive from our devices, we end up wanting more, endlessly scrolling to find the next thing we’re interested in. This cycle traps us and leaves us permanently restless and unsatisfied.
Even if people say that I’m basic or that I like trendy things, that’s not what people think of me.
I write this as someone who has personally seen the effect this has on my life. When I saw her Instagram Wrapped from this year showing that she spent the equivalent of 28 full days on the app, I knew something had to change. And Instagram wasn’t even my most used app. Between TikTok, Snapchat, Netflix, and YouTube and Messages, I, and most people my age, have spent a significant portion of our teenage and adult lives connected to our phones.
This constant stimulation can cause feelings of anxiety and stress. You may also have difficulty concentrating and paying attention. Do you want to go on a date? Just swipe on Tinder. Want to watch a movie? Choose from thousands of your favorite streaming platforms. Need something in a hurry? Amazon Prime will have it delivered to your doorstep by morning. Although incredibly convenient, the ability to always have what we need at our fingertips solved one problem, but created another. Nowadays, the things that took so much time and effort to create are either reduced to cheap versions or completely forgotten. As you may have noticed, now that we have all become accustomed to the gratification of instant convenience, “slow things” like love and friendship have become much more difficult.
Next time you’re doomscrolling, remember that it’s okay to walk away from all the work. Take time to do something that requires effort and dedication. Stepping away from technology and engaging with the world around you will reduce stress, improve your focus, and help you understand what’s really important. If you take a moment to unplug, I think you’ll find the real thing you’ve been scrolling through.
Ainsley Foster is a second year elementary education student.