# Technology and Addiction

https://cdn.pixabay.com/photo/2017/06/09/15/15/facebook-2387089_1280.jpg
[Image Source](https://pixabay.com/en/facebook-social-media-addiction-2387089/)

In this article I will first examine the definition of addiction. I will explain its relation to stress and the neurological basis for addiction as it relates to memory. Last I will pose questions about technology, society and addiction. 

The World Health Organization has recently added “gaming disorder” to its International Classification of Diseases. Classified similar to gambling addiction, gaming disorder is not simply playing too much. It refers to people who obsessively play video games at the extreme detriment to their real lives. The recognition of video games as a mechanism for potential abuse demands deeper questions of technology and addiction. 
[1](https://www.npr.org/2018/06/19/621269712/who-recognizes-gaming-disorder-as-a-mental-health-condition)

Addiction is a brain disorder. It’s characterized by a compulsion towards reward, even at adverse cost. [2](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Addiction). By brain disorder, the emphasis here is that addiction isn’t a simple relationship where a person becomes ‘hooked’ on a drug because the drug ‘feels good’. What science tells us is that addicts have a genetic predisposition towards becoming addicted in the first place. [3](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3506170/). That said, there are varying models for addiction. A psychological view could be where drug (ab)use is a coping strategy, where the user relies on the drug to reduce tension/stress. A neurobiological model would focus on an explanation of reward and learning pathways in the brain, focusing on the adverse consequence of that learned reward system as the key feature of addiction [4](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2732004/). 

In either model, stress is a primary factor. [5](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2732004/). As regards video game addiction, or technology, the dependence on the addictive agent (video games) is a release from stress. Entertainment, dependence on ‘leveling up’, escape from a stressful lifestyle, the use of technology as convenience has a reduction of stress its primary function. But, not every person who uses video games becomes addicted. Just as not every person who uses morphine for pain medication becomes addicted. The actual rate of addiction tends to be 15% [6](https://youtu.be/9Tf16DM7lSg?t=4m31s). 

Research shows that there is a correlation between previous substance use and addiction. [7](https://youtu.be/9Tf16DM7lSg?t=4m31s). Use of nicotine and alcohol influences gene expression. This is one example of the environment influencing the brain, and leads to the way that addiction is deeply intertwined with memory. Neurones adapt to the environment by growing synapses. More synapses means a stronger memory. The interaction of drugs including nicotine and alcohol, which are environmental stimuli, activates a chemical called CREB which binds to a neuron’s DNA. This drives new gene expression that create a stronger synapse between neurons. This is the memory formation process (environmental stimuli to a stronger synaptic relation). It is also the way the brain becomes neurologically reliant on a drug. [8](https://youtu.be/9Tf16DM7lSg?t=10m). The prior use of nicotine and alcohol develop synaptic connections in the brain that later make it more vulnerable to cocaine addiction. I'd like to emphasize the following point: environmental stimuli influence gene activation. 

We know that a brain can be both genetically predisposed to addiction as well as ‘primed’ for it (as in the example above). Going back to video game addiction, perhaps a more sinister explanation for it is that our society itself predisposes us to addiction on video games. Are we not, on a social-scale, predisposed towards addiction to technology? Just as prior use of nicotine and alcohol prime the brain for cocaine addiction, are we not primed for tech-addiction since day one? What neurological effects does television, mobile gaming, apps or the internet have on a child’s brain? [Children spent up to six hours a day behind a screen](https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-32067158).

Certainly, as environmental stimuli, they must develop a memory process and activate CREB/neurological synapses in the brain as a result of this activity. The brain establishes memory circuits through using this technology. By developing more and more synapses in that reward pathway, are we as a society not living in a system that promotes technological addiction? [It certainly would appear that way](http://adage.com/article/digital/sean-parker-worries-facebook-rotting-children-s-brains/311238/). 


Sources
 
[1](https://www.npr.org/2018/06/19/621269712/who-recognizes-gaming-disorder-as-a-mental-health-condition)[2](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Addiction)[3](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3506170/)[4](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2732004/)[5](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2732004/)[6](https://youtu.be/9Tf16DM7lSg?t=4m31s)[7](https://youtu.be/9Tf16DM7lSg?t=4m31s)[8](https://youtu.be/9Tf16DM7lSg?t=10m)