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Alcohol, tobacco and other narcotics can and often easily do create a certain level of physical dependence on their consistent use, even after what triggered st
by helloworld11 5y ago
Alcohol, tobacco and other narcotics can and often easily do create a certain level of physical dependence on their consistent use, even after what triggered starting with them in the first place has stopped being the case. This is not the same as escaping the need to think about personal difficulties in life by developing a habit of randomly browsing the internet. Some of the motivations behind the two sets of escapist activities are similar but the physiological aspects are very different.
- skohan 5y agoHave you never been at a social event like a dinner or a party, where you are in a good mood and have plenty of nice people to talk to, and felt compelled to check your phone?
- helloworld11 5y agoSure, and so? Like many mild to moderate psychological habituations, it's not quite comparable to the persisten chemical addictions created by certain narcotics
- helloworld11 5y agoAn alcoholic, or a heroin addict or even many heavy smokers are going through their own special types of hell that are capable of literally killing their physical health or taking their lives, and it trivializes them to compare these things to someone having a heavy social media-checking habit.
- skohan 5y agoThe existence of a greater social ill doesn't preclude the existence of another. I tend to think the harm from social media is more related to negative externalities: i.e. political instability, loss of social cohesion, and the spread of misinformation. If the vector for those problems is something which is extremely habit forming to the point that people can't go two hours without engaging with it while in a healthy social environment, that doesn't seem like something to dismiss to me.