A drastic increase to 61% of Netflix subscribers’ regularly binge-watching shows, in 2015, suggests that the screen addiction may result in profoundly negative physical and psychological effects on frequent internet users.
Are humans becoming too reliant on technology that was created to help us? Worldwide there are over 75 million people now subscribed to video streaming website, Netflix, seeing a drastic amount of growth recent years. The technological revolution in the previous three decades continues to reshape Australia’s social culture. The issue is that studies are now emerging, revealing that screen compulsion is becoming one of the most common behavioural addictions.
Those at the highest risk of this addiction are individuals …show more content…
But with electronic devices constantly becoming more acceptable in public and group settings, the regularity of screen addiction may continue into the future.
The Negatives of Screen Addiction
Screen use is not solely an unhealthy practice. In fact, it is the most efficient way for humans to work and communicate in the modern age. However, when it develops into an obsession, it can become as problematic as any other behavioural addiction. Professor Cecilia Bull, Head of Psychology at Yale University, Connecticut, tells Psychology Today, “We hear so little about screen addiction in mainstream media. But it’s one of the most isolating and addictive habits facing the world today.”
Whilst behavioural addictions are vastly different from substance addictions, they share the same neurological implications. Professor Bull describes how other variables can trigger behavioural compulsions, just as they do for substance related addictions: “Behavioural triggers are everywhere and it extends a lot further than just doing the task. For example, a familiar, comfortable environment is often a big …show more content…
Essentially, viewing entertaining content pleases an individual, stimulating the nervous system to release dopamine, the neurotransmitter associated with reward and pleasure. A neurotransmitter is a chemical substance, it is released from the end of a nerve fibre due to the arrival of an emotional or physical impulse, in this case entertainment. The positive association of dopamine often triggers the urge to repeat a stimulating activity.
As the stimulant is repeated the excess dopamine production then takes over the cingulate gyrus and the prefrontal cortex, the areas controlling motivation and judgement, in the brain. Richard Freed, author for the Huffington Post, summarises this statement, “The ‘hijacking’ of excess dopamine removes the brain’s drive to complete other tasks, regardless of their significance in the individual’s life.” This is alarming, usually resulting in a major performance slump in other areas of the effected person’s
Are humans becoming too reliant on technology that was created to help us? Worldwide there are over 75 million people now subscribed to video streaming website, Netflix, seeing a drastic amount of growth recent years. The technological revolution in the previous three decades continues to reshape Australia’s social culture. The issue is that studies are now emerging, revealing that screen compulsion is becoming one of the most common behavioural addictions.
Those at the highest risk of this addiction are individuals …show more content…
But with electronic devices constantly becoming more acceptable in public and group settings, the regularity of screen addiction may continue into the future.
The Negatives of Screen Addiction
Screen use is not solely an unhealthy practice. In fact, it is the most efficient way for humans to work and communicate in the modern age. However, when it develops into an obsession, it can become as problematic as any other behavioural addiction. Professor Cecilia Bull, Head of Psychology at Yale University, Connecticut, tells Psychology Today, “We hear so little about screen addiction in mainstream media. But it’s one of the most isolating and addictive habits facing the world today.”
Whilst behavioural addictions are vastly different from substance addictions, they share the same neurological implications. Professor Bull describes how other variables can trigger behavioural compulsions, just as they do for substance related addictions: “Behavioural triggers are everywhere and it extends a lot further than just doing the task. For example, a familiar, comfortable environment is often a big …show more content…
Essentially, viewing entertaining content pleases an individual, stimulating the nervous system to release dopamine, the neurotransmitter associated with reward and pleasure. A neurotransmitter is a chemical substance, it is released from the end of a nerve fibre due to the arrival of an emotional or physical impulse, in this case entertainment. The positive association of dopamine often triggers the urge to repeat a stimulating activity.
As the stimulant is repeated the excess dopamine production then takes over the cingulate gyrus and the prefrontal cortex, the areas controlling motivation and judgement, in the brain. Richard Freed, author for the Huffington Post, summarises this statement, “The ‘hijacking’ of excess dopamine removes the brain’s drive to complete other tasks, regardless of their significance in the individual’s life.” This is alarming, usually resulting in a major performance slump in other areas of the effected person’s