Modern technology comes with a price, as does everything. The very creation of a modern mobile phone requires a large plant to do lots of work, as well as actual people interacting with devices, helping with quality control, not to mention design. But, that is not where the price ends.
Once we purchase a mobile phone, we still keep paying a price, and that is the use of the said phone. People seem addicted to mobile phones, and that is a very bad thing. Why does smartphone addiction happen in the first place? There are many factors which can contribute to compulsive mobile phone usage and here are some of them.
Depression and Anxiety
People turn to various things that can give them pleasure, any form of pleasure when they are depressed or when they deal with anxiety.
One of the easiest ways of getting pleasure in this modern day and age is using a mobile phone. Whether browsing social media or watching cute videos on YouTube or TikTok, people are known to drown their sorrows and fears in cute things or entertainment.
Mobile phones also offer a variety of applications, some of which can be video games and some which can also be gambling applications, or anything other that can entice addictive behavior.
Too Many Dopamine Spikes
The problem with smartphones and the way we interact with them are the dopamine spikes we get after using them.
Once we get a dopamine spike, it unfortunately never tends to go back to the normal baseline. It dips below the baseline and we tend to want more of the same thing, the very thing that excited us in the first place.
More social media, more videos, more video games or application browsing, any of these things can have dopaminergic effects, and not the good ones.
Just like addictive substances cause dopamine spikes, mobile phones do, as well, even though in smaller doses. But, too many small doses leads to the same effect, not to mention that our tolerance increases, thus we end up wanting more screen time.
The Byproduct of The Times
Not everybody has to suffer from depression, anxiety or a dopamine deficit. Mobile phones are simply used by everyone, to do business or to communicate. Thus, most people have to spend time with their phones, simply due to maintaining social interactions or business relations. That being said, some people restrict their phone usage, but others are not as disciplined. It is important to be aware that we do not have to use our phones all the time, not even for business.
Addictive behavior with mobile phones is a more common occurrence and it is likely to stay. The above mentioned reasons are some of the most likely to cause smartphone addiction.