We all know these social and short-form content platforms are exploiting our attention for ad views and private information. However, the greater harm might be the addictive side of it. “Dopamine rushes” I mean.
I don’t want to jump to conclusion but recently I’ve noticed the trend of increasing cases where people get heart diseases, kidney failure, hypertension, etc in my country (at very young age, below 30). Could it be that not only these platforms are harmful in mental health and privacy but also physical health?
PS: Sorry for my bad English…
Is there an increase in the actual number of people with hypertension? Or is there an increase in the known number of people with hypertension in your country? While I don’t want to downplay the risk and frequency of any medical condition, it’s important to consider the increase may come from better, more frequent diagnoses and testing ability. A similar increase in cancer frequency largely came from more frequent screenings, better testing, and more knowledge all around. Yet, all kinds of things were blamed for the “sudden” change from cell phones, plastic, banning lead, vapes, non-organics food, GMO food, to nuclear power plants.
I see… Since dopamine, cortisol… from the rages, the pleasure feelings, and other strategies are tools that these platforms use to addict us to them. These neurotransmitters and hormones heavily affect our heartbeat, blood pressure and other heart-related things. (I’ve read the Dopamine Nation book and listened to several podcasts discussing this.)
I don’t have any studies about this, and I’m just a guy trying to learn more about these new phenomena that might have a significant impact on our next generations.
Anyway, it’s nice to hear a different take on this to not just blindly blaming the wrong thing.