- 8/9/2024
How many times do you scroll Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, or any other such social media platform in an hour? Probably infinite. We all have become so addicted to Social Media that we don't even realize the impact it is having on our lives. Social Media is like any other addiction- whether it is drugs, cigarettes, or alcohol. It can destroy you. It can make you crazy. It can make you mad. But then what to do? What is the solution? How to get rid of this trap? Watch this video to know the scientific reasons behind your Social Media, and what can you do to reduce your addiction.
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LearningTranscript
00:00Hello, friends.
00:01Do you know that in today's world,
00:03we touch our phones on average 2,600 times in a day?
00:09Not only that, according to a research done by a common Indian,
00:13after COVID, the screen time has been 7 hours every day.
00:17That is, we keep looking at it for 7 hours every day.
00:21Sometimes scrolling on social media,
00:23sometimes watching videos on YouTube,
00:25sometimes watching movies on Netflix,
00:27we do anything.
00:28If you waste 7 hours on this,
00:30it not only affects your rest of your life,
00:32your studies, your job, your business, your hobbies,
00:35but it also affects you here.
00:37For some people, if you take their phone from them,
00:39they start getting irritated.
00:41They become restless.
00:42And some people even feel stressed.
00:43There is no doubt about it.
00:45This thing has become an addiction.
00:47And very few people talk about it.
00:49So in today's video, friends,
00:50let's find out what is the science behind this addiction.
00:53How is it affecting your life?
00:55And most importantly,
00:56what can be the solution here?
01:25Friends, you won't believe it,
01:31but social media addiction can actually be compared
01:34with cigarette, alcohol, drugs,
01:36and gambling addictions.
01:38It sounds very strange.
01:39Because cocaine and social media,
01:41these are two very different things.
01:43It is true that they are very different things.
01:45But the addiction in your body
01:48can be compared to a great extent.
01:50Your body follows a pattern for any addiction
01:53which can be called the Dopamine Pattern.
01:55First, let's understand what Dopamine is.
01:58Dopamine is a neurotransmitter
02:00that forms in our brain.
02:02This is its chemical formula,
02:03a benzene ring with hydroxyl groups on both sides
02:06and an amine group attached to the ethyl chain.
02:08Any neurotransmitter's job is
02:10to send a message from one place to another.
02:13To give a signal.
02:14For example, Oxytocin is called the Love Hormone.
02:17It is used for bonding in relationships.
02:19Serotonin is the Mood Stabilizer.
02:22It keeps your mood stable.
02:23What is the role of Dopamine here?
02:25For a long time, scientists believed
02:27that Dopamine is a pleasure chemical.
02:29Whenever we are happy,
02:30Dopamine is responsible for it.
02:32But this is not true.
02:34According to the latest research,
02:35scientists believe that the happiness we get
02:37is not because of Dopamine,
02:39but because of Endorphins.
02:41Endorphins work as a happiness booster
02:44and a pain reliever in our body.
02:47Dopamine is related to motivation and reward.
02:50When our brain thinks
02:52that there is going to be an activity
02:54that will make us happy,
02:56then as soon as we wait for it,
02:58our Dopamine levels increase in anticipation.
03:01Let me explain this with an example.
03:03Remember when you were young
03:05and waiting for your dad to come home.
03:07You knew that your dad was going to buy you chocolate.
03:09But you didn't know when your dad was coming home.
03:12That's when the phone rings
03:13and your dad calls and tells you
03:14when he will come home.
03:16Dad has called.
03:17He is going to buy my favourite chocolate.
03:19You didn't eat the chocolate.
03:20But as soon as you wait for your dad to come home,
03:23your mouth starts watering.
03:25Because your brain knows
03:27what taste it is going to get.
03:29Chocolate is a reward here.
03:31That reward is going to come.
03:33But in anticipation of it,
03:35as soon as you wait for the chocolate,
03:37your Dopamine levels increase.
03:39Because of which you get excitement and happiness.
03:41Nothing is wrong in this situation.
03:43A healthy body of an ordinary person
03:45will work this way.
03:46Dopamine plays a very important role
03:48in your motivation,
03:50in your memory,
03:51and in your learning.
03:52The optimum level of Dopamine
03:54is very good for your body.
03:55But it should not be too high or too low.
03:58The problem is when you get this reward,
04:00your brain reduces Dopamine transmission.
04:03It takes it below the baseline.
04:05And when you get the same exposure again and again,
04:08it creates a chronic Dopamine deficit state in your brain.
04:12When Dopamine is consistently at a low level,
04:15you don't get the same level of pleasure.
04:17You don't get the same level of happiness.
04:19To get the same level of happiness,
04:21you need more stimuli.
04:23This might seem a bit confusing.
04:25Let me explain again with an example.
04:26Suppose you get the chocolate.
04:28The next day, your father brings another chocolate.
04:30On the third day, another chocolate.
04:32On the fourth day, another chocolate.
04:33On the fifth day, another chocolate.
04:34You get chocolates every day.
04:36And on the eighth day,
04:38when your father calls,
04:40will you get the same excitement?
04:42Will you get the same happiness
04:43while waiting for your father?
04:45You won't.
04:46You've been getting chocolates every day for the past 7 days.
04:48That's no longer the case.
04:50This concept is called in psychology,
04:52Hedonic Treadmill.
04:54There is nothing in the world
04:55that will give you the same happiness
04:57if you keep taking it every day.
04:59Imagine that you've cracked the IIT entrance exam.
05:02The day you get the result,
05:03the day you know that you've cleared IIT,
05:06you can go to study in IIT.
05:08You'll start dancing with joy that day.
05:10You'll call everyone and tell them.
05:12The next day, you'll be very happy when you wake up.
05:14You'll be in a good mood all day.
05:15But imagine,
05:16after a month,
05:18will you still be dancing with joy
05:21that you've qualified for IIT?
05:23You won't.
05:24If people see you doing this,
05:26they'll call you crazy.
05:27Today, you know that you've been admitted to IIT.
05:29Today, you're happy.
05:30But even after a month,
05:31if you're still dancing with joy,
05:33this is not normal.
05:35The same thing can go anywhere.
05:36To become an IAS officer,
05:37to become a Prime Minister.
05:39It's like a treadmill.
05:40You have to keep walking on it
05:42to get the same level of happiness.
05:44After a year of admission to IIT,
05:46you might have a dream
05:47to become so rich
05:48that you can go to a 5-star hotel every month
05:50and eat there.
05:51When you do this for the first time,
05:52you'll be very excited.
05:53But when you become rich
05:55and eating in a 5-star hotel
05:57will become a routine for you,
05:58then that won't be the case.
06:00To get that much happiness,
06:02you'll have to do something new.
06:03You'll have to become richer than that.
06:05Or you'll have to accomplish a new dream.
06:07The same thing, friends,
06:09is not only applicable for achievements in life,
06:11but is also applicable for cigarettes and drugs.
06:13When a person takes drugs for the first time,
06:15even a small amount of drugs
06:17gives him a big kick.
06:19He feels very happy.
06:21But gradually,
06:22he has to consume more and more drugs
06:24to get the same level of kick.
06:26To get the same level of happiness.
06:28And gradually,
06:29he starts consuming a few grams of drugs.
06:31He starts taking drugs in large amounts.
06:33And he becomes badly addicted to drugs.
06:36Because the happiness his mind was getting
06:38is the same quantity of drugs.
06:40It gradually decreases.
06:42The addiction to social media
06:44works in a similar way.
06:46When you see a notification on your phone,
06:48your mind expects a reward.
06:50Dopamine is released.
06:52Someone liked your photo.
06:53Someone commented on your photo.
06:55You feel happy.
06:57You get an instant reward here.
06:59Your mind writes in the diary entry,
07:01I feel happy because of this.
07:03I'll do it again.
07:05But gradually,
07:06that excitement decreases.
07:08Only 100 likes.
07:09Only 20 comments.
07:102 messages and 10 friend requests.
07:12That's not enough.
07:13I need more.
07:14And gradually,
07:15you start falling for it.
07:17You might have a question in your mind.
07:19All the examples I gave you,
07:21the neurological process in all of them
07:23is the same.
07:24So why don't we become so addicted to everything?
07:27Why don't we become addicted to clearing IIT?
07:29Why don't we become addicted to earning money?
07:31Why do we become addicted to drugs, cigarettes,
07:33alcohols and social media only?
07:35There are two main reasons behind this, friends.
07:37The first is ease of access.
07:39And the second is speedy reward.
07:41The things that are happening here,
07:43how easily accessible are they?
07:45And how quickly do you get their reward?
07:47These are the two risk factors here
07:49of becoming addicted to anything.
07:51If you can get chocolates easily,
07:53quickly,
07:54then definitely,
07:55you can become an addict to chocolates too.
07:57Sugar addiction is actually a thing.
07:59But you can't become an addict to clearing IIT
08:02because you don't get any speedy reward there.
08:05You have to work hard for years
08:07to get that reward.
08:09You can become an addict to earning money
08:11only if you have ease of access.
08:13If there is an easy way to earn money.
08:15But you're also getting a speedy reward.
08:17You're also getting more money quickly.
08:19This is what happens in gambling addiction.
08:22Those who gamble with their money,
08:24who spend their money in casinos,
08:26they have ease of access.
08:28They can see that here, in this casino machine,
08:30I can earn more money.
08:32So they can easily access it very quickly.
08:35And they can also instantly get a reward.
08:37There is a speedy reward too.
08:39So it is very easy to become an addict to gambling.
08:42But to open a business,
08:44to earn more money slowly,
08:46becoming an addict to it is not that easy.
08:48Next to impossible.
08:49Because there is no speedy reward there
08:51and there is no easy access.
08:52Now let's look at these things from the perspective of social media.
08:55Social media and your phone are very easy to access.
08:58Whether it is Facebook, Twitter or Instagram,
09:00you just have to pick up your phone,
09:02unlock the phone from here,
09:04and tap once, all three apps will open.
09:06Secondly, you're also getting a speedy reward.
09:09The likes on your posts,
09:10the comments people are making,
09:11the messages people are making,
09:13this is on Facebook.
09:14But apart from this,
09:15the videos you're watching on Twitter, Instagram and YouTube,
09:17the entertainment you're getting from them,
09:19the comedy videos,
09:21the laughter you're getting,
09:22this is a reward.
09:23Some time ago, I made a video,
09:25YouTube vs TikTok.
09:26In this, I told you that
09:27the ease of access and speedy reward of the TikTok app
09:31is more than any other social media.
09:34In TikTok, you don't even need to search for a video.
09:37You just have to swipe.
09:39Even if you don't swipe,
09:40the next video will automatically start playing.
09:42And you get the reward so quickly,
09:44every 20-25 seconds,
09:46you're getting a new reward.
09:47That's why an app like TikTok is more addictive
09:50than Instagram and YouTube.
09:52The ease of access on YouTube stops a bit
09:55because a lot of times,
09:56you have to search for the video yourself.
09:58And you have to tap on a video yourself.
10:01In TikTok, the video automatically plays
10:03as soon as you open the app.
10:05And it automatically swipes down.
10:07Compare it with other activities.
10:09Suppose you want to read a book.
10:10It takes patience.
10:12Until you read a few pages of the book,
10:14you won't get the reward.
10:16It takes a lot of time.
10:17If you want to go out to play,
10:19you'll have to wear a T-shirt,
10:21sneakers,
10:22shoes,
10:23and you'll have to walk outside.
10:24You'll have physical exertion on your body.
10:26So the ease of access is reduced.
10:29If you want to meet your friends,
10:31you'll have to call them,
10:32make a plan,
10:33wear a dress,
10:34and go out.
10:35The ease of access is even more difficult.
10:37Do you know what is the most useless and dangerous thing?
10:40All these social media companies
10:42have deliberately made their apps like this.
10:44They studied in great detail
10:46that psychologically,
10:47who attracts people the most?
10:49What makes people addicted?
10:52By doing this, people will use our apps more.
10:54They will spend more time on the screen.
10:56And they manipulated their apps in the same way.
10:59These companies saw you as a victim.
11:02And very cleverly,
11:04laid a trap for you.
11:06These professional people,
11:07who are getting big salaries,
11:09did a high-level psychological analysis,
11:12surveyed people to find out all this.
11:14From the colour scheme,
11:16to the layout of the buttons in the app,
11:18they took care of all these things.
11:20It used to be that when you scrolled down on Facebook,
11:22the scrolling used to end.
11:24When you read the posts of all your friends.
11:26But now,
11:27they've added infinite scrolling.
11:29You can keep scrolling,
11:31you can keep scrolling,
11:32Facebook will keep showing you something or the other.
11:35Because their main goal is
11:36that the more hours you spend on Facebook,
11:38the better.
11:40Traditionally, our thought has been
11:42to explore ourselves.
11:43To meet new people,
11:44to visit new places,
11:45to learn new hobbies,
11:46to gain new knowledge.
11:47But to explore anything new,
11:49you need patience and time.
11:51The ease of access and speedy reward
11:54that you get from your phone,
11:56is much more.
11:58So it is much easier to do it.
12:00This addiction to social media
12:02is harmful for your life
12:04due to many different reasons.
12:06The first and the simplest reason
12:08is that your time is being wasted.
12:10This is just a surface-level reason.
12:12Other than this, radicalization increases.
12:14If the algorithm shows you the things you like,
12:17political viewpoints also become an echo chamber.
12:20If you like right-wing posts,
12:22you will only see right-wing things.
12:23If you like left-wing things,
12:24you will only see those things.
12:26Second, insecurity and depression increase.
12:28A lot of people see on social media
12:30how good-looking they are.
12:32When they see people in the filters.
12:34Teenagers feel more anxious,
12:36they feel more depressed.
12:38Especially when they get less likes.
12:40If you see this Facebook ad,
12:42Mark Zuckerberg has made such an image
12:44that two strangers
12:46who are introverted
12:48start talking to each other on Facebook.
12:50They message, exchange phone numbers
12:52and then meet in real life.
12:54They become good friends.
12:55And maybe even get married to each other.
12:57Wow!
12:58Facebook is such a good thing for humanity.
13:00But Harari asked Zuckerberg
13:02if two people really have to
13:04mix Facebook's work.
13:05Or if two people have to keep
13:07Facebook's work on Facebook.
13:14Are we trying to connect people
13:16so ultimately,
13:18they will leave the screens
13:19and go and play football?
13:20One model would be...
13:22Actually, what happens is
13:23your real-life friends
13:25become friends on Facebook
13:27and you only see them on Facebook,
13:28talk to them.
13:30Only through comments and messages
13:32and stop meeting in real life.
13:34How many of your Facebook friends
13:36have you met in real life?
13:37Anyways, if we come back to our
13:39original topic,
13:41the problem is social media addiction.
13:43If used in moderation,
13:45social media can also be used for good.
13:47I'm not saying to completely stop
13:49using social media.
13:51After all, you're watching this video
13:53through social media.
13:54And what I do
13:55is completely through social media.
13:57But the question is
13:59how to stop addiction?
14:00The answer to this is
14:02hidden in those two factors.
14:04Ease of access and speedy reward.
14:06If you want to stop any addiction,
14:08you'll have to reduce ease of access
14:10and speedy reward.
14:12Today, it's so easy to
14:14open Facebook.
14:15Just pick up the phone, unlock it
14:16and press Facebook.
14:17But if it wasn't so easy,
14:19would you really open Facebook that much?
14:21There's a simple solution.
14:23Delete all the social media apps
14:24from your phone.
14:26Here, I'm not asking you to delete the account.
14:28I'm just asking you to delete the apps.
14:30If you want to access these social media platforms,
14:32you can open them in your phone's browser
14:34or on your laptop.
14:36But the benefit is that
14:38ease of access will be reduced.
14:39It won't be so easy for you to open those apps.
14:41So you won't do this behaviour that much.
14:43If this sounds too much to you,
14:45you can do one more thing.
14:47At least turn off the notifications.
14:49This way, every minute, every hour,
14:51your brain won't expect any reward.
14:53You'll open the apps only when you want to.
14:55Actually, the solution
14:57depends on your addiction level.
14:59If you think that
15:01your addiction is not that bad,
15:03turn off the notifications.
15:04If you think that your addiction is more problematic,
15:06delete the apps.
15:07If you think that
15:09your addiction has worsened,
15:11and you want to reduce it even more,
15:13open these apps only in private browsing.
15:15This means that
15:17whenever you open Facebook, Twitter or Instagram,
15:19you'll have to enter your password
15:21on the browser every time.
15:23This makes the ease of access even more difficult.
15:25So the simple logic is that
15:27the more difficult it is for you to do this action,
15:29the better it is for your addiction.
15:31You'll become less addicted.
15:33The same thing can be said for the phone.
15:35Do you know that
15:37no sound is ever switched on?
15:39No sound will come out of any notification.
15:41Because I don't want
15:43to get distracted from my work
15:45and start looking at my phone.
15:47On average, a common man
15:49opens his phone 50 times.
15:51So when I'm about to open it 50 times,
15:53I'll look at the notification.
15:55This same logic can be used
15:57to control many different types of addictions.
15:59If you don't have
16:01a cigarette shop nearby,
16:03it's very difficult for you to buy a cigarette,
16:05or you don't have the money to buy it.
16:07So obviously, it becomes more difficult
16:09for you to become a smoking addict.
16:11If you don't have any means of gambling,
16:13if there are no casinos nearby,
16:15obviously, you won't be able to become a gambling addict.
16:17If you think that the things I've told you in this video
16:19are very knowledgeable and will be useful in your life,
16:21then I'll definitely tell you
16:23to check out my course and join it.
16:25You heard it right,
16:27I've made an entire course on time management
16:29and productivity.
16:31In which I've talked about these things in detail.
16:33What are the reasons behind procrastination?
16:35And what are the solutions to counter it?
16:37How can you increase
16:39productivity in your studies,
16:41in your job, in your business?
16:43And get more time in life
16:45to do the things you like.
16:47The purpose of making this course is
16:49to bring about a change in your life.
16:51And this can't happen just by listening to a one-sided video lecture.
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17:01Every group will be given trainers.
17:03On a fixed time schedule,
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17:07So that you can implement changes in your life.
17:09And I'll also have live interactions
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17:13To organise all this,
17:15I've put in a lot of effort.
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17:19The link is in the description below.
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18:11This will be helpful for you, whether you're an employee
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18:25See you in the class.
18:29One more thing,
18:31this course will be in English.
18:33But you'll also get Hindi subtitles.
18:35I hope you found this video informative.
18:37Let's meet in the course.
18:39Thank you very much.
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