I fall into the same trap every time. I look at my phone. The dark screen calls to me with a sense of urgency. My muscles tense as I reach for the home button. I click the home button and then, with a flash, nothing. I have no messages and no notifications. For a moment, I am relieved. But how can I have no messages? I last checked my phone… a mere ten minutes ago. I open Instagram and a stream of photos flash before me. I see my roommate’s puppy rolling in the snow. I smile to myself. I wish I could be there, petting her soft, round belly. In the next photo, two of my high school friends are celebrating their anniversary at a concert. Then I see a friend placed third in her Brazilian jiu-jitsu competition. I scroll through many photos of couples, selfies, and vacations. Everyone is smiling and carefree.
Then, out of nowhere, DEPRESSION reads across my screen. At first, the stark contrast shocks me. Then I look closer. The advertisement is for a research study on adults with depression. I find it ironic that the best place to advertise for a depression study is on Instagram, the app of constant smiles. Yet, over-use of technology is one of the main causes of depression. Research from the University of Gothenburg found that heavy cell phone and late-night computer use correlate with a variety of health problems, including sleep disorders, stress, and depression (Heavy Technology Use Linked to Fatigue, Stress and Depression in Young Adults). What is the cause of society’s obsession with technology when it is detrimental to our health?
Maybe our addiction to technology stems from the fact that our technology feeds us only the information we want to hear. Online search algorithms used by companies such as Google and Facebook, for instance, allow people to hide from world problems and to be presented only with news feeds similar to those they have previously viewed. The internet may seem like a giant search box that presents the same information to everyone, but each person’s internet is actually unique. Emily Taylor, chief executive of Oxford Information Labs and editor of the Journal of Cyber Policy claims that “we now exist in these curated environments where we never see anything outside of our own bubble… and we don’t realize how curated they are.” Internet algorithms allow us to feel safe and believe that we have the whole picture. The comfort of hearing our own opinions repeated back to us is one of the reasons why the internet is so addictive and dangerous in the Anthropocene. For example, if someone who does not believe that individual sustainable choices can counteract global warming searches the news, that person will be presented with views that match their own, further reinforcing their belief that nothing can be done. People can hide from the scientific truth. Internet search algorithms prevent us from working together to solve global warming because they promote radical individual viewpoints, as can be seen in the last U.S. presidential election, rather than true awareness and consensus.
Websites:
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-volpi-md-pc-facs/technology-depression_b_1723625.html
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/may/22/social-media-election-facebook-filter-bubbles