They are out to get us and we are just casually living our lives, unaware of what we are up against. In our twenty-first century, these are disguised infiltrators present in almost all of our homes. Many users of technology count themselves as forever indebted to the intelligent minds that work behind the scenes to cater to our needs, yet they are unaware that this same force is working against them. Experts such as Tristan Harris A whole industry in the tech world with psychologists who work side by side with technology designers, aim to keep us expectant of our next notification or memo all for one selfish motive: money. , will help one to understand how these “architects of our digital world” work to keep our attention indefinitely to make money. The Google ethicist and expert on how technology takes control of our psychological weaknesses discusses how our attention is amused by algorithms that can predict what we like or may be interested in (Time Well Spent). It is clear that these engineers are fully aware of the vicious cycle many individuals fall victim of and intentionally continue to use these “hijacking techniques” despite all the studies and data that exposes their handiwork. Professor Clay Shirky who teaches at NYU on the theory and practice of social media, also buttresses the negative effects of excessive device usage. He narrates why he requires his students to keep their devices away in his blog post and talks on our inability as humans to focus on one task with sounds and visual cues (notifications) that make our attention divided (Medium). A whole industry in the tech world with psychologists who work side by side with technology designers, aim to keep us expectant of our next notification or memo all for one selfish motive: money. 

Tristan Harris explains the psychology behind excessive phone use and consumption of time in his Ted Talk at Brussels. We view the notifications we receive from our emails, social media, and other apps for small periods of time that gradually add up to ridiculously long hours, and Harris explains why we are like magnets to these devices. He compares the science behind this truth to the same psychology that attracts gamblers to slot machines. Individuals who impulsively check their notifications even after checking it less than two or three minutes before, are entangled in a cycle of a variable reward schedule which under the umbrella of psychology is studied as operant conditioning. It is a process behaviorist B.F. Skinner identifies as a schedule of reinforcement where, as defined by author, consultant, and psychosocial rehabilitation specialist, Kendra Cherry, is “a response [that] is rewarded after an unpredictable amount of time has passed” (VeryWell), and a prime example of this science can be gleaned from any social media platform. For instance, even after one may have gone through his or her notification feed, he or she may keep pulling down to refresh in hopes that new posts will pop up on the screen. The truth is that none of his or her many followers have posted anything new to be seen, but he or she still maintains the hope that maybe after many attempts of refreshing, someone will finally post something. It is after an unpredictable number of refreshes this person is finally reinforced with the new posts he or she had been anticipating, and from then on the subject’s consistent hope keeps him or her the phone. Unlike playing with slot machines where one may run out of money, it is not as easy to sense when time has been far spent. He or she may find himself or herself scrolling for hours, disregarding the fact that the clock is still running, and even with awareness of what one is bound to do, falling victim of this can be inexorable. We do not have the ability to turn on or off our unconscious mind. That is like claiming that we can choose to sneeze or not to when we feel the urge. Falling victim to our psychological weaknesses is inevitable because we are human beings.

Psychologists are aware of some of the basic stimuli that prompt humans to respond. They understand that as long as one belongs to the human species, he or she shares the same brain structure with other human beings, so therefore they can predict behavioral approaches that may be found common among all. One of the most active parts of the human brain is located in the part known as the “animal brain,” and psychologist Eric Ryan adds that this region “… is instinctive and reactive, and does not involve a lot of conscious thought.” (The Anxious Brain and Its Parts). The specific parts of the brain that responds instinctively to good or bad situations are located in the midbrain, and these include the amygdala and hippocampus, some of the main areas involved with emotion. The amygdala, for instance, associates different sounds, smells, and even environments with prior experiences we may have had. That is why sometimes even hearing someone else’s phone vibrate makes one eager to check on his or her phone. But this is no fault of one’s own, it is a behavioral approach these psychologists predicted! It is a conditioned response prompted by the sound the brain has associated with the sound or visual cue of a notification. Dr. Charles Livingstone, a public health researcher who specializes in gambling, explains conditioned responses using the discovery Russian psychologist, Ivan Pavlov, revealed around 1902. He explains how Pavlov learned that if you ring a bell, and then feed a dog, then that dog will come to associate that sound with being fed. Later on, Pavlov found out that if you set the bell off even without the food, the dog would salivate, proving that the ring of the bell is a stimulus that evokes a conditioned response (The Guardian). Similarly to Pavlov’s dog, smartphone users are conditioned to respond to notifications that may be seen or heard from a phone that may not even belong to them, but they have learned to associate particular sounds and pop-ups to notifications they have experienced. This psychological component explains why social media users are continually mindful of what may be going on in their inboxes or timelines, a problem Clay Shirky battles with his students with over focus on him. A colleague can have his or her phone on the table, a notification would pop up, and the person beside him or her would be prompted to check their own phone. Now not only one person has been distracted, and this is why Shirky requires for his students to put their devices away. He states, “It’s me and them working to create a classroom where the students who want to focus have the best shot at it, in a world increasingly hostile to that goal.” The professor is only one person fighting against a whole legion, an intelligent industry who have made it their objective to make social media far more compelling and attractive than face-to-face interaction. You do not have to go too far to see how their infiltration into all of our lives has affected our ability to focus.

Interestingly there is a vast amount of evidence linking the addiction of social media and texting to the euphoria we get from dopamine released in our brain, yet a multitude of studies shows that this feeling of pleasure and satisfaction is only temporary (Weinschenk). Social media use rather increases loneliness and magnifies the realization of one being a social outcast (Brooks), and one must understand the mind games tech companies play in order to satisfy their own greed and competition for money. Researchers Matthew Pittman and Brandon Reich from the University of Oregon buttress this assertion in their academic journal, where they mention, “Ostensibly, the heightened interpersonal connectivity afforded by social media should be associated with an overall increase in psychological well-being, yet the problem of loneliness persists in the same societies where social media usage is likely at its highest” (155). It can be argued that loneliness and social media use is comparable to drug abusers, who gain satisfaction in the moment of their euphoria, but suffer from the aftermath of reality when it is all over. It is a wonder why some people are so devoted to tweeting about their every move from the time the wake up to what they had for lunch to exactly when they are going to bed, when all their efforts still lead to them experiencing solitude. Despite this observation, these individuals are not to be looked down upon. “Tech companies understand what causes dopamine surges in the brain and they lace their products with hijacking techniques that lure us in and create compulsion loops” (Brooks). Tristan Harris explains these hijacking techniques in detail in an article entitled How Technology is Hijacking Your Mind — from a Magician and Google Design Ethicist. 

One of the points Harris discusses is how we are deceived into believing that the [Internet] is the most empowering and useful choice out of all the resources available for us to pick from. But we must understand that the world is our resource, not just the Web. If we limit our choices to only seeking the answers we need from online, we are limiting our answers to what is available to us online. For instance, one may feel comforted and satisfied with an intimate relationship online, but that person will never have the experience of physical contact due to the apparent barriers online relationships set up. In “How Evil Is Tech?” David Brooks states, “Online is a place for human contact but not intimacy,” and although this statement can be contended, there is some truth to it. The imagination is powerful but what is real is what is often tangible. Therefore, such a person can experience the feeling of intimacy, but physical intimacy is nonexistent. Another hijacking technique Harris poses is the “fear of missing something important” (Thrive Global). Almost all advertisement agencies can attest to using one common strategy, which is not marketing what people may need to improve their lives, but convincing them their life is incomplete without their product even if it is not necessary for them to have it. In the same way, social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook present a community ready to welcome anyone from all walks of life into an environment where he or she can connect with people from all over the world, feel free to express himself or herself, and stay up-to-date with current affairs. These platforms make people feel that by physical means it is not possible to reach out to all the thousands of “friends” or “followers” they may acquire, but, even with the pride of having all of those followers, he or she can testify that they are personally involved with only a handful. This false advertisement of staying connected to friends, family, and strangers is unrealistic because real connection is intimate and not just a hi and bye experience. Moreover, as mentioned earlier, the internet is not the be-all and end-all of resources available for one to express himself or herself or to stay-to-date. Going out into the world and living out one’s dreams is one alternative rather than imagining it behind a screen, and television, museums, and libraries are still credible places to educate one’s self. Harris elaborates on more techniques of deception, but ends by encouraging us to take control of our minds because time is precious.

If we were to consider the effects social media and technology use has on the human brain now, it would be a marvel to see the development of this area of psychology a few decades from now. We know the sun burns so we apply sunscreen, and to remove plague and prevent cavities, we brush our teeth. But do we really protect our brains in the same way?​ What we invest in ourselves is what we will profit off of in due time, and in the same way, what tech companies invest in us, is what they make a profit off of everyday. People are looking for avenues to connect, and rather than it being a blessing, it has become a curse. These geniuses have been making a profit off of our unconscious minds and have found ways to attract users and keep them refreshing. The book of Proverbs mentions that a false balance is an abomination, and it is true because we cannot spend all of our valuable time on one activity in life (Prov. 11.1). Distractions that come from notifications, calls, and reminders can cause us to miss bits and pieces of integral information or forget groundbreaking ideas in the pinnacle of when we are focused. That could be the difference between being broke today and rich tomorrow! We need more people like Tristan Harris, educating people and coming up with more ideas for how we can spend our time well.