Are we becoming addicted to technology?

We’ve all had those days in the library where an intended revision session devolved into a quagmire of tweets, Snapchats, and Buzzfeed quizzes that finally answer the age-old question of which ousted Arab Spring ruler you are. But what happens if you’re someone who doesn’t just have an occasional bout of distracted revision, but are stuck in a daily struggle to leave your phone alone and complete your assignments? Does this make you ‘addicted’ to your smartphone or the internet?

It’s a strange concept to consider, as the word ‘addict’ usually conjures up images of gambling, alcoholism or opioids, and the devastating and life-altering consequences that linger. But, research conducted by Daria Kuss of Nottingham Trent University found that a positive emotional response can be triggered by two thirds of the notifications that appear on your smartphone, resulting in people obsessively checking their phones. Companies have turned to psychologists and neuroscientists to make their apps as addictive as possible, which raises questions about the existence of technology addiction.

But what happens if you’re someone who doesn’t just have an occasional bout of distracted revision, but are stuck in a daily struggle to leave your phone alone and complete your assignments?

The rise in concern hasn’t just led to obnoxious Youtube videos about how it’s bad to constantly use social media, but a study at Korea University led by Hyung Suk Seo to investigate tech addiction. The study found 19 people who considered their tech and social media use to be detrimental to their lives, and 19 people who didn’t identify as such. The team conducted Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (MRS) scans, which is a magnetic resonance technique (using the same machine as a MRI scan) that allows scientists to look at the neurochemical makeup of a subject’s brain.

Hyung Suk Seo’s team found that self-described addicts had a different balance of neurotransmitters in comparison to non-addicts. Specifically, addicts had higher levels of gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA), which is involved in motor and vision control, working by slowing down signals between neurons. Addicts also had lower levels of glutamate, which causes electrical excitement in neurons, and is vital in sending signals throughout the nervous system. This can lead to problems in how information and emotions are processed, as well as increased anxiety.

The study hints towards a neurological root for tech addiction, but doesn’t tell us whether this is the cause of tech addition, or simply an effect of it…

The team also made 12 of the addicts attend cognitive behavioural therapy sessions aimed at helping tech addictions, and scans after these sessions revealed that GABA/glutamate levels had readjusted to a ratio closer to that of the non-addicts. The study hints towards a neurological root for tech addiction, but doesn’t tell us whether this is the cause of tech addition, or simply an effect of it. Nor does it explain why this imbalance exists.

It also raises a wider question of how to define addiction. Fears about our smartphone reliance and technology usage are seeping further into society. The idea of a dumb phone – a phone which can only make calls, texts, and take photos, either due to hardware design or the user deleting all other software off their phone – has begun attracting attention as an antidote to tech addiction. But Allen Francis, the former chair for the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) task force (the team which writes the ultimate authoritative textbook for diagnosing psychiatric disorders), argues that merely the amount of time we spend on our smartphones or the internet isn’t enough to label ourselves addicts. He states the concept of tech addict “would be appropriate only for the very small minority of users who are compulsively chained to their smart phones, despite them now providing little or no fun, and instead causing clinically significant distress and impairment.”

Fears about our smartphone reliance and technology usage are seeping further into society…

While it may be easy to sneer at our overindulgent refreshing of Twitter and Facebook feeds, it’s also impossible to divorce from the ubiquitous position of this technology in our lives. Email is essential to the workplace, Google is the default for researching any assignment, online shopping is the cheapest and most convenient way to shop, and social media is vital in our social lives. The internet and smartphones are a new tool for us, and as they become ever more so entwined into our day-to-day lives, it’s necessary for us to understand both the positive and negative impacts they have.