“It’s not hard for me to imagine that in 20 years from now we find that what social media does to our brains is equivalent to what smoking does to our lungs”. — Yancey Strickler - Kickstarter’s CEO
Take a minute to answer this question. Why do people smoke?
Your answers may range from – to reduce stress, take a break, kill time, or even meet new people. Do you notice any similar reasons for scrolling down on your news-feed? The gesture is different, but the kind of addiction is same. You are just staring at the lit screen and blowing off nearby friends instead of blowing smoke.
This is a well-crafted picture created by a French graphic designer Anton Deloy in response to our growing addiction to the internet. This picture is a thought-provoking illustration that points out the similarities between the addictive nature of Facebook and smoking.
Addiction might seem like a strong word to use in case of social media. Us millennials may not get lung or liver cancer from social media, but it can be damaging for sure.
The release of dopamine is the main reason for cigarette addictions. It is like a candy for our neurons, same in the case of using social media, which makes it very addictive. This addiction means spending more time online to produce the same pleasurable effects.
I believe, the picture metaphorically shows us that we still have an industry selling products that are addictive by nature- just like cigarettes. Some years ago, it was cigarettes, but today the addiction comes in the form of the likes we get on our pictures online- seems deceivingly harmless, doesn’t it?
The tech industry, taking lessons from the tobacco industry is setting an addiction that is extremely profitable for their business. Social media sites are already targeting young children as future consumers which is quite disturbing.
I agree that these online technological platforms have enormous benefits: from bringing us up to date information, to effortlessly forming connections all around the world, and giving a voice to the unheard. But we need to also look into the hidden influence of these platforms as their main goal as businesses is to make profit, no matter what.
This picture did a good job in making me wonder if my friend in the corner consuming his Facebook feed will be looked at the same as the guy standing in the alley smoking his Marlboro. I wonder if we will see ads on TV about laser treatment to cure our addition to Snapchat pictures or Pokémon Go. Will social media consumption in large cause social cancer or some horrible disease of the mind? I hope, social media lifestyle in the coming future would eventually pass like a fad and ostracized like cigar packets of today.
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