What is short term media? What does it do to us? And what does it say about our society?
Previously, there was little to keep people stimulated when they were faced with boredom, as technology like phones and computers were yet to be invented. In today’s world, however, there seems to be an excessive amount of entertainment, whether it’s scrolling on Instagram Reels or trying to beat a high score on Block Blast.
Additionally, and as many know, students are becoming increasingly disengaged, whether they’re attempting to inconspicuously use their phones in class or zoning off during lectures. Some students may notice these changes in themselves, with a study by Pew Research Center showing that seven-in-ten high school teachers (72%) say, “students being distracted by their cell phones is a major problem.”
This is not new to students, with evidence like increased screen time or an inability to focus on school work providing them with prior evidence of the issue. However, most students are unsuspecting as to the correlation between social media media usage and their decreasing attention span, prompting the question; how, exactly, do the two interact with one another?
The answer is very simple, yet when closely looked at, extremely complex and intricate. Dopamine, commonly referred to as the “feel-good chemical,” is a type of neurotransmitter that communicates messages between the brain and the rest of the body, as said by Cleveland Clinic. Additionally, dopamine is responsible for the positive sensation people experience when they do anything that brings them joy. This causes people to seek out positive experiences due to the feeling of satisfaction it brings them. After having said all this, it’s clear what is responsible for humans’ borderline obsession with social media: dopamine.
Simply put, whenever a person opens Tiktok, they’ll often see content related to their hobbies, or simply things they enjoy. This is no coincidence, and is due to the pre-existing algorithm put in place by the creators of TikTok. Because of said algorithm, TikTok will look at each video they’ve liked and create a for-you page that synthesizes with their interests. This will lead to the intake of enjoyable content, thus the releasement of dopamine.
This is all seemingly harmless; after all, dopamine is what makes humans feel happy, so how can it be harmful? The reality of it is, that it can be harmful in several ways, one being its link to addiction, specifically social media addiction. This is due to social media platforms driving “surges of dopamine to keep consumers coming back over and over again,” as said by Jefferson Health. In other words, dopamine makes humans feel happy, and because dopamine is released while using social media, they’ll want to keep opening the app and scrolling for hours, because it makes them happy.
With the recent ban of TikTok, however, this all may seem like a past issue. However, Tiktok can serve as a prime example of how easily people can become addicted to the dopamine they receive while using their phone, with other apps like Instagram, Snapchat, and even Youtube as additional demonstrations of this.
After having said all this, it’s clear that changes need to be made, in terms of cell-phone usage, in order for students to better their attention spans. One way in which they can do this is not by cutting out social media entirely, as social media itself is not harmful, but the overconsumption of it. This can be done with the help of app blockers or screen time controls. Additionally, students can try to participate in their regular hobbies more often.
Whether students incorporate these tips into their daily life and try to limit their usage of social media, it’s clear that with the recent ban of Tiktok, something needs to change; and it’s up to us individually to figure out what or how we can do so.