#modern psyche

[newrealityworld]

Modern Day Psyche goddess of the soul 

[mustardmike]

R/s between dopamine hits, smartphones and social media

(Originally from http://sitn.hms.harvard.edu/flash/2018/dopamine-smartphones-battle-time/)

Dopamine is a chemical produced by our brains that plays a starring role in motivating behavior. 

The release of dopamine, reinforces whatever behavior preceded it.

In social context: laughing faces, positive recognition by our peers, messages from loved ones—activate the same dopaminergic reward pathways. Smartphones have provided us with a virtually unlimited supply of social stimuli, both positive and negative. Every notification, whether it’s a text message, a “like” on Instagram, or a Facebook notification, has the potential to be a positive social stimulus and dopamine influx.

These social stimuli are easily attainable, available at no economic cost, right within our pockets - giving us the dopamine hit almost every time. 

How dopamine neurons are being exploited to keep us engaged/ addicted to the activity. 

If you’ve ever played slots, you’ll have experienced the intense anticipation while those wheels are turning—the moments between the lever pull and the outcome provide time for our dopamine neurons to increase their activity, creating a rewarding feeling just by playing the game. It would be no fun otherwise. But as negative outcomes accumulate, the loss of dopamine activity encourages us to disengage. Thus, a balance between positive and negative outcomes must be maintained in order to keep our brains engaged.

How do social media apps take advantage of this dopamine-driven learning strategy? 

Similar to slot machines, many apps implement a reward pattern optimized to keep you engaged as much as possible. Variable reward schedules were introduced by psychologist B.F. Skinner in the 1930’s. In his experiments, he found that mice respond most frequently to reward-associated stimuli when the reward was administered after a varying number of responses, precluding the animal’s ability to predict when they would be rewarded. Humans are no different; if we perceive a reward to be delivered at random, and if checking for the reward comes at little cost, we end up checking habitually (e.g. gambling addiction). If you pay attention, you might find yourself checking your phone at the slightest feeling of boredom, purely out of habit. Programmers work very hard behind the screens to keep you doing exactly that.

This use of a variable reward schedule takes advantage of our dopamine-driven desire for social validation, and it optimizes the balance of negative and positive feedback signals until we’ve become habitual users.

Good alternative comments: (Truncated)

... How often “programmers” are held accountable for “socially undesirable” business outcomes. A strategist proposed a design, management sanctioned its use, and programmers built and implemented it, in compliance with the design. If the programmer objects to the design on ethical grounds, then he makes his concerns known to his employer, or consults his professional body for advice. Strategy design and selection is not typically an area of the business in which programmers creates value.

(Author’s response)

Totally fair comment on the programmer’s role – you are right that is primarily a business decision. Programmers should not be portrayed as the ones making these decisions, and that’s my mistake if that’s how it came off. Although they do consciously play a direct role in “hacking the brain”, so I would argue they are not innocent bystanders. If a programmer at Facebook or Instagram was ethically opposed what their company was doing, surely they could find a job elsewhere, no? I think we can agree that with the wrong incentive structures, good people are forced to do ethically questionable things, and the incentive structures surrounding these companies are problematic, at best. 

From The Shallows, by Nicholas Carr

Every information technology carries an intellectual ethic—a set of assumptions about the nature of knowledge and intelligence. He explains how the printed book served to focus our attention, promoting deep and creative thought. In stark contrast, the Internet encourages the rapid, distracted sampling of small bits of information from many sources. Its ethic is that of the industrialist, an ethic of speed and efficiency, of optimized production and consumption—and now the Net is remaking us in its own image. We are becoming ever more adept at scanning and skimming, but what we are losing is our capacity for concentration, contemplation, and reflection.

From the Ruthless Elimination of Hurry, John Mark Comer

.. it is wise to cultivate a healthy suspicion of technology. Technological, and even economic progress does not necessarily equate to human progress. Newer, faster doesn’t mean it’s better. 

From Neil Postman

Technology must never be accepted as part of the natural order of things.. Every technology -from an IQ test to an automobile, to a tv set - is a product of a particular economic and political context and carries with it a program, an agenda, and a philosophy that may or may not be life-enhancing and that therefore requires scrutiny, criticism and control. 

[140dbmanagement]

We are so excited for the release of APRIL TOWERS’ next single Mondern Psyche, which was produced and mixed by Andy Savours.

Pre-order your own copy here!