5 reasons why games and social media are so addictive
There are many reasons why gaming and social media are habit-forming. Some reasons are quite obvious and others are more manipulative by design.
Here are the top five:
- They are fun. Games are played by people of all ages, because they are fun. For children, gaming is a very good way to teach them what it feels like to win at times, and to learn how to handle it when they lose at times. Gaming gives the player a sense of continual learning, continual progression from one level to the next and the feeling of accomplishment when they win rewards or status points. There are always new levels and new awards that keep the player in the game. Social media is also fun. It appeals to our human need for connection with others. It allows family and friends to communicate and share special moments with loved ones around the world. This is one of the reasons why usage of social media increased during Covid-19 related lockdowns.
2. They can make you famous. According to “Psychology Today”, children want fame more than anything else in the world. They see young people their own age becoming famous, amassing large followings and living a lavish lifestyle – and they want the same. Social media is the ideal platform to showcase your talents – singing, dancing or acting. Gaming is another ideal platform to show your exceptional marksmanship or advanced driving skills. Both are places where top performers can become influencers and earn money while posting to their fans and followers on these platforms. Our children need to realise that for every successful influencer, there are millions of people who have tried and failed to become famous.
3. You can find your tribe. Gaming and social networks are great places to find and connect with other people who have the same interests, beliefs or hobbies. Some shy children find it easier to connect with other young people online, than in the real world. Joining groups of like-minded people will do a lot to help lonely children learn how to socialise. In the same way, online gaming allows players to connect with other players who enjoy the same games. In this way, they get to interact with people from outside their immediate vicinity and can learn about different cultures and lifestyles.
4. You get your sense of self-worth. Unfortunately, young people place a very high value on how they are perceived online. They will do almost anything to gain friends, followers, fans, likes, shares and comments. This is potentially harmful to their development because the worthiness is dependent on outside reactions which are unpredictable. Someone who loves your profile one day could become a critic or cyberbully on another day. As quickly as they gain followers, they can lose followers and this makes their sense of self-worth very erratic during a time when they might not have the maturity to handle it. We need to teach our children to develop and grow their confidence and self-worth from intrinsic sources and not on what other people think.
5. They affect our moods. This is the most manipulative reason why games and social media are addictive. They are designed to be this way – deliberately and scientifically. Gaming developers and social networks hire “behaviour engineers” who are experts at manipulating their users by triggering our body chemistry. Every time something good happens – someone likes your post, you get a good comment on your photo or you win the latest level on a game; your body releases a hormone called Dopamine. This is a feel-good hormone that is completely natural and often experienced when eating something delicious, having sex or during other pleasant activities. Dopamine is natural, but due to the frequency of feeling dopamine while playing games or social media it becomes highly addictive. Stanford University did a study that showed people who were playing games experienced 400% higher dopamine than is healthy. This is the equivalent of what someone would feel if they were using cocaine.
We need to remember that there are only two industries that call their customers “users”. One is software / social networks or games and the other is the illegal drug trade. In order to protect our children, tweens and teens from becoming too dependent on the dopamine boost they receive all through the day, we need to limit their time online.