How New Addictions are Destroying Us

[@ThenNow]

Script & sources at: www.thenandnow.co/2023/02/05/how-new-addictions-are-destroying-us/ ► Sign up for the newsletter to get concise digestible summaries: www.thenandnow.co/the-newsletter/ ► Why Support Then & Now? www.patreon.com/user/about?u=3517018

[@healinggracehomes]

How about the addiction to people. Toxic trauma bonding. Also food is the most complex addiction out there because you need it to survive. All the others you don’t.

[@healinggracehomes]

Food kills more people long term than all drugs combined. Cardiovascular and heart disease from fat and unhealthy lifestyles. I would say the most painful long term death.

[@happinesstan]

Watching that beer being poured destroyed any excitement I had.

[@happinesstan]

I haven't finished the video, yet, so forgive me if you go on to cover this. As a bit of an online slots addict, the biggest trigger is plain old symbolism. I only have to see a tile layout of 5x3 squares [a lot more common than you'd ever imagine] and I'm thinking of those reels spinning. And, of course, every game has some kind of cultural relevance that can not e avoided on a day to day basis. I'm lucky though because I usually run out of money by Wednesday.

[@happinesstan]

With all due respect, you're wrong. Nobody is ever looking for "the same high", they're looking for the unique experience of the first high. There is a very subtle, but very important difference.

[@zacharyhockett6248]

The cognitive dissonance of watching this while indulging in my excessive KZbin habit is pretty intense ngl.

[@KarlSnarks]

The cognitive dissonance is even worse when watching on 1.70 speed while having open another tab with a different video and another one with the homepage of youtube, so I can regularly switch videos and look up the next one to watch.

[@yungnachty4474]

@@KarlSnarks I feel attacked 💀

[@KarlSnarks]

@@yungnachty4474 Well at least you're not alone, solidarity with the KZbin addicts anonymous! ;)

[@DaveTaste]

Who is Nigel?

[@DaveTaste]

@@QuemaTodo OK thanks. I don't lie either.

[@javieralvarez1072]

I am addicted to videos warning about how addictive social media and society in general (tick tok in particular) is becoming.

[@zed739]

Don't let the irony of the statement blind you to the real harm this truth can cause

[@javieralvarez1072]

@@zed739 I'll try.

[@jacksprat9209]

@@zed739 the irony of the video is more interesting. They use the same tactics they warn us about. They know how to scare people into watching a video purporting to be in your best interests but is in reality purely for monetary gain. Everybody on YT is a faker.

[@sorrycantvizualize]

Bruh

[@migspeculates]

@@jacksprat9209 Well some KZbinrs are using the platform to spread their passion and ideals as much as possible Then & Now is one of them. It all comes down to the landscape of the social media app which forces some tactics to be adopted for efficiency's sake

[@HenryBloggit]

This depressing because none of this is going to just go away. It’s only getting smarter, faster, flashier, sexier, more alluring. We’re doomed.

[@villemononen5303]

It goes away (or lessens it's pull) once the individual decides so. It's up to each and everyone how they choose to live their lives, and where to focus their daily energy on. At the end of the day, it's just a digital illusion. Just a one unplug away...

[@ricksanchez9669]

oh its going to go away. WW3 will bring people back to reality real quick. Once the chip supply chain is interrupted, all bets are off. We will be lucky if governments don't start confiscating phones, computers, smart TVs, anything with chips that can be used to make weapons. The likes on your Instagram post wont mean shit because uncle sam just took every internet connected device you owned and every man in your life under 65 has been conscripted.

[@theotherohlourdespadua1131]

If you want to be a nihilist, go ahead...

[@thekajalflaneur]

It seems that way dosent it. But i think one can choose to disengage and go into life without your phone, without expectation. Life opens up once you are no longer feeling under such surveillance. In the macro, eventually this will be regulated. We are still in the wild west, but I'd say its the twilight, not quite sundown but almost. So just hold on, my man. Remain calm, be brave and just ride through this night until the new dawn. All will be okay eventually. You'll be right :) lots of love to you

[@Way_Of_The_Light]

Best to stop reproducing and end this never ending cycle of human sufferings.

[@miralovesyou192]

I am horribly addicted to media. I literally get a feeling of being depressed if i’m not playing games or watching videos or tv shows. It’s horrible, I even considered giving away my phone and changing it to a nokia. My world/life seems grey and boring because the life i’m seeing online seems so colorful and exciting. And the worst thing is that no one takes it seriously, because everyone is addicted and thinks this is normal.

[@79bull]

Oh… I can understand this. I went through a bad divorce and can’t move forward with my life to be ‘normal’. So looking at everyone else online was really bad for me. Around a year ago I decided not to interact with the apps. All notifications off. I still have them but they no longer draw me in. Now weeks can pass before I remember about them and I feel much better about myself, and my life seems ok to me and not a failure. I’ve stopped comparing myself to others basically. Maybe give this a try and see how you get on. I wish you well with this ✨

[@Cheese_crackers]

I feel you... There's time I felt exactly like you and still do really. I have put my phone in my locker during work hours and it's crazy how you notice how much everyone is glued to their phones while working, whether listening to endless podcasts or actually watching videos. It becomes creepy. But what I noticed also after 3 days my mind becomes clearer, I'm focused on my work, my sleep is tremendously improved and I'm way more in the moment focused on what's in front of me. But even after doing it for a week or so as soon as you pick it back up it's as if you never let it go. I've considered getting a flip phone and only using the internet on the weekends at a coffee shop or something so I can use it for what I need like paying bills, looking something up I kept thinking about during the week etc and leaving. Because it's not like I'ma sit there for 8 hours mindlessly scrolling. I can admit that having the internet (the world) in my pocket is way too distracting for me personally

[@estebanwixom8540]

We are becoming addicted to screen time on our devices and are losing the ability to exist and communicate organically in the real world

[@Spocklee]

I am the same. The first thing I do everyday when I wake up is start watching KZbin as I get ready for work, I watch KZbin at work when I'm not busy and bored. Then come home and watch while I cook dinner/eat before I get on my computer till I go to sleep. A few times when I couldn't afford to renew my monthly internet I was so bored and depressed I thought I was gonna loose it. All I do aside from work/eat/sleep is gaming/movies/KZbin. I need help 😢

[@turtleanton6539]

Fully agreed 😊

[@HolleSangma]

The fact that nobody talks about subliminal affirmations for overcoming addiction on Borlest speaks volumes about how people are stuck in a trance

[@AtreidesMuadib]

How well does it work for you? Which one did you try?

[@manciti4709]

the problem with addiction to social media & smart phones...is that it is completely acceptable in modern societies...most people see this is normal...& a way to keep children out of trouble...but this online epidemic is causing anxiety, sever loneliness, paranoia, & lack of communicative skills

[@Ash01010]

lack of attention span also

[@SevenTheMisgiven]

Yeah and you're all wrong and frankly pretty dumb. You do a lot of damage to children and actually if you forgot that parents used to teach this then you will simply never have the power of will to put away your phone. Even though it's such a hilariously simple thing to do. You people don't even know what a real addiction is. That is how hopeless people are when they are the bitch of their phones and write a whole narrative around it. Please just don't touch your phone. Simply don't take it with you to work. Don't install Apps you don't need.

[@laulaja-7186]

Makes it easier to keep the masses down that way doesn’t it. Like the “bread and circuses” in ancient Rome. Makes you wonder.

[@zocco15az]

Oh is it and we never had these before?😮

[@ClashColors_]

@@laulaja-7186america is getting eerily close to retracing the path rome went down…

[@latifoljic]

I smoked a pack of ciggies a day for 6 years. Tried to stop many times. The thing that finally worked was changing jobs to something that i found more meaningful and more varied. In my experience addiction is usually a cover, a replacement, or a treatment for something else.

[@kionnakelly2918]

It’s a symptom of the underlying problem usually.

[@whywhywhy9659]

Captain obvious

[@ian-haggerty]

Amen brother.

[@atmosrepair]

Yes that what it is,, self medicatio of Underlying trauma,, and trying to feel good again,, feel whole again,, use a substance to put that piece of yourself back together.I was able to quit cigarettes by telling myself that I will just have one later, and ignoring the impulse at that moment, and before you know it, you're thinking about something else. I even kept one last Marlboro, it's my lucky cigarette. If I said I quit now for good no more, it was too much separation anxiety and worry how I can make it in the future. Ignoring that desire that pops up, does resemble choking a demon out of yourself, at first it is tussle and struggling a lot, but it gradually weakens, and weakens, and then it flops dead, and you let go of the choke, and it falls right to the floor!

[@LiaBSakura]

You are so awesome for posting this. Thank you

[@BeAPickle]

I am addicted to extremely well produced and highly researched videos like this one.

[@fishdude666ify]

Word.

[@SilentVinyl]

You seem like one of those dead internet theory accounts

[@Mediocre00Rebel]

At least this is better than watching corporate TV tho.

[@FurthermoreJack]

Can't lose with a Tom Scott accent

[@BirdmanVeganFuture]

Most are addicted to certain foods, like fast foods, cheese, meats and soda

[@gr8myndmuzic]

We’re basically being entertained to death 😕 It is indeed time to take back control! Awesome vid 🌟

[@theintrovertedaspie9095]

And its to give us cheap dopamine and stimulation which us used as a coping mechanism to deal with stress or burn out from all the huge amounts of work people are enduring just to simply make ends meet in this day and age. Especially for poor or lower middle class people. Same thing can me said about junk food., its quick, its easy, and its often all you can afford. Its all connected. Society finds ways to incentivize us to consume. Our problems and are their profits.

[@ebossnz6838]

It's always been the case. Sports was made to entertain and to distract you from what's really going on.

[@theintrovertedaspie9095]

@@ebossnz6838 Really? I thought sports were things people liked doing. Sports and games have always been a cornerstone of human culture.

[@ebossnz6838]

@@theintrovertedaspie9095 they are in some cases. We see them as fun. But over all when big things take place they always do it around game time. Then all you see on the news is the game or sports. In most cases now it is fun and we like doing it. I'm talking about the world cups etc. But originally the sports was made to settle matters like in Aztec times. Rituals etc. But Look up sportwashing that will explain a little more about it

[@simspawn]

​@@theintrovertedaspie9095No, that's not what sports are about. Might have started that way, but nobody, and I mean nobody, memorizes stats of games from 60 years ago without having an addiction~ but in seriousness though, it's ALL a tool to control the masses. Society itself and the idea of "society as a whole" is an abstract and is a tool to control the masses.

[@nathandehoyos8796]

I'm an addiction counselor and since finding this video we've been showing it at least once a week. Excellent job.

[@theharshtruthoutthere]

Soul of ADAM: repentance (Luke 5:32 KJV) repent (Luke 13:3 KJV) born again ( John 3:7 KJV) ( 1 Peter 1:23) come out from Babylon and expose it ( Revelation 18:4) (Ephesians 5:11 KJV) forsake your evil ways (sins) (Jonah 3:10 KJV) do the WILL of your Heavenly FATHER. (Matthew 7:21 KJV)

[@macgp44]

I'm 65 years old, so while I did grow up with television (all THREE channels), I didn't grow up with the barrage of attention-stealing devices and apps that Gen Z has had. I'm thankful for that. I look at the youth of today and my sense is (GENERALIZATION ALERT, not meant to be applied to all) that they are lost, confused, overwhelmed. Our economy is changing rapidly, leaving many by the wayside, and social ties are weak or nonexistent, creating many "losers" who are becoming destructive or self-destructive. There are "winners" too, but it's way out of balance. We can't all by Tik Tok stars, raking in million$.

[@eternaldelight648]

Nailed it.

[@gifzwerk]

wise words

[@sr.antipiro8669]

.

[@shanastroskyphazer8172]

your in a ego trap FOOL !

[@DC-cz2sr]

Yeah I'm a 80s baby I hate this look at me online social economy. Yes some got rich off social media but there are plenty of ways to get rich I make well for myself trading without a making a KZbin channel of myself being a trader. I value me and my family's privacy

[@BrokennessAndBeauty]

I don’t know what to do. I find myself checking my emails looking through Reddit always on KZbin always needing something to listen too. It’s exhausting. I wish we could all collectively throw our cell phones away 😭

[@ma2i485]

Twitter and Tik Tok for me😬

[@conspirateur13]

KZbin and Telegram addiction here. I can't stop. I don't know what to do.

[@purerage7963]

A very useful first step in my experience is to find a substitute. Like whacking a pillow or punching bag, it's valuable to find an outlet to vent out your addictive urges and channel them in decreasingly wasteful manners. I find that being outdoors, whether for work, errands, events, or strolling in the park or around the neighbourhood, significantly increases the amount of physical activity that I get as well as decreasing the amount of food that I eat. Like the video mentions, abstinence is hardly the main answer-you need to channel that "need to know more" into a more productive, less addictive outlet. Maybe if you scroll past an article, read through it in its entirety instead of skimming through dozens of comments under the same article. Wean yourself off of your social media front pages and move towards books. But yeah, sometimes I feel like society will regain some sense of normalcy if all cell phones globally were EMP'd into oblivion lol.

[@zocco15az]

You do it no ones holding a gun to your head DO IT.😮

[@ninjapirate123]

I use all of this on laptop so it might be different compared to u using it on phone

[@dpo1713]

Turning off notifications on my phone made a real difference to the constant demands on my attention. I thoroughly recommend it.

[@villemononen5303]

Yeah. Putting it offline sometimes (or flight mode), leaving the toy home and going out for a walk etc. Little such things make wonders...

[@theotherohlourdespadua1131]

Can you not just... ignore it? I leave my phone data on every night just to let it collect notifications as turning it on after being off for the night just have it constantly buzz with notifications for a few minutes straight which I find annoying...

[@villemononen5303]

@@theotherohlourdespadua1131 Sure, if you can do so. I don't like keeping my phone online through the night, close to me atleast. Radiation etc. Also, i want to dedicate the time for good sleep, with little to none distractions. Life goes up and down, but getting the good sleep can balance whole lot of it. Yes, the few minutes of notifications is very annoying! In those moments it becomes apparent how annoying the whole phenomena is. One doesn't notice it so easily when it's constant, but when piled up... It becomes self-evident. I mostly use the computer. It's a similar kind of technological trap, but there's certain peace to it. No notifications beeping. Also better with bigger screen and keyboard / mouse. But, that's just my preference. Going offline every now and then can be a nice detox i find. But to each their own.

[@kieror583]

I noticed completely turning it off when In my room made a massive difference including better sleep and health

[@Salien1999]

@@theotherohlourdespadua1131 problem is for many people that some notifications may actually be important, so you almost feel like you *have* to look. It could be your boss or a loved one trying to reach you, after all. Not to mention (for me at least), useless notifications are really irritating. It's not a magic bullet, but it is another way to tidy up a source of distraction.

[@charliepearce8767]

Im 63 and addicted to the internet. Its not a problem for me or those around me and it hasn't come at a better time in my life. Im now crippled because of back problems and unable to move around freely. Luckily everything i wanted to do in life ive achieved and more in the past, so now im finding great pleasure surfing the net , finding answers to questions ive had all my life. What a lovely addiction.

[@silverfoxchain]

Its so sad when toddlers and teenagers and young adults are though

[@charliepearce8767]

@@silverfoxchain Your very right. Most haven't had the chance to experience "real life." Just glued to the screen, sitting at home on their bottom not being active and all. I note nowadays, no kids playing out on the streets, riding their bikes, blowing up letter boxes with fireworks, etc.. Just eyes fixed on a screen.

[@lynnfisher3037]

So sad that you didn't GET anything that was said here.

[@turtleanton6539]

So nice

[@johedges5946]

Bless you Charlie 🥰

[@stevetrail2307]

This video is some real wisdom. I struggle with porn addiction, weed addiction, and doomscrolling. Humans weren’t designed for these kinds of things. Thanks for helping me

[@trippybruh1592]

How can you not doom scroll these days?

[@ninamartin1084]

Humans alongside all higher animals keep ourselves alive by use of dopamine/serotonin mediated pathways.....it's why we seek water when we are thirsty or food when we are hungry or sex when we are horny. It's how we survived as a species and it's how we survive as individuals. We would literally die if our receptors were turned off as we would starve to death. So don't give yourself a hard time!

[@tylerburgess7664]

This is why we probably should just unplug. But then we probably would get ostracized.

[@AG-er5vmTG]

@@tylerburgess7664 I unplugged and lost half my friends. It’s tough to find a middle ground.

[@JimmyMon666]

@@trippybruh1592 Don't do social media. I don't do social media at all. Although if you consider KZbin social media, then I kinda do. And sometimes I scroll with youtube, but not very much. It gets pointless after a while. As for why I do social media, it's mostly due to my own hangups. I don't do it because everyone else is doing it. I pride myself by not being a follower and doing my own thing. I guess I get self conscious about being labeled as a beta, and I can honestly say I'm not a beta. I don't follow the trends, and don't give a shit what other people do. I'm not an alpha either. Dumb men out there think there are only 2 classifications when there are more.

[@ReynaSingh]

Addiction just seems to be part of human nature. We tether to anything that adds rhythm to the unpunctuated flow of time

[@wadeguidry6675]

Did you make that up? Great observation.

[@javieralvarez1072]

You are mesmerizing...

[@villemononen5303]

In my opinion and experience, most of the addictions are manufactured and marketed to general masses in hypnosis. Once one starts to cut down their addictions, they start to regain their own power back, and own peace of mind too. Bunch of programming tricks cast down on masses in this grand theatre of delusions. And believe me, in no better nor worse in this too. But once you get the grasp of it, the direction is upwards.

[@Eggzy-b7f]

Rhythm , Longest word that doesn't contain a Vowel:)

[@dansmoothback9644]

Really well put! I think we are addicted to more things than we realize, but its obviously the more harmful ones that get our attention. Interesting stuff to think about

[@DukesMusic84]

This is THE MOST IMPORTANT conversation we need to have right now. I've lost friends every fucking year to addiction. We cannot keep letting this happen, period. Show them love and support, give a shit when they talk and remember to show love.

[@travis3430]

I think with today & the social media addition, it's partly the unwillingness to ever feel bored, the fear of missing something that's going on. Also, the idea that doing something is always better than doing nothing. Throw in the desire to be liked as well which is strong too.

[@patriaciasmith3499]

Psychedelics are just an exceptional mental health breakthrough. It's quite fascinating how effective they are against depression and anxiety. Saved my life.

[@APOLLINAIREBARTHOLOMIEU]

Can you help with the reliable source I would really appreciate it. Many people talk about mushrooms and psychedelics but nobody talks about where to get them. Very hard to get a reliable source here in Australia. Really need!

[@steceymorgan814]

I wish they were readily available in my place. Microdosing was my next plan of care for my husband. He is 59 & has so many mental health issues plus probable CTE & a TBI that left him in a coma 8 days. It's too late now I had to get a TPO as he's 6'6 300+ pound homicidal maniac. He's constantly talking about killing someone. He's violent. Anyone reading this Familiar w/ BPD know if it is common for an obsession with violence.

[@APOLLINAIREBARTHOLOMIEU]

Is he on instagram?

[@AnjeloValeriano]

Microdosing helped me get out of the pit of my worst depressive episode, a three year long episode, enough to start working on my mental health

[@Luquiro]

Intoducing spirituality good component shouldnt be ignored

[@oktayahmed162]

You deserve way more attention. This is some high quality production and information.

[@cjay2]

Why don't you just enjoy the video and stop telling him that he needs more attention?

[@oktayahmed162]

That's a weird comment lol.Just trying to support the man in response to the value he is providing.

[@barnacleboi2595]

@@cjay2 Why dont you just enjoy the video and stop criticizing other people's comments?

[@-maudy9371]

Share with all your friends and fam ❤️

[@-maudy9371]

@@S.Kowalchuk that's true, one presupposes the other 👨

[@scottash351]

What an absolute brilliant take on addiction! I see a lot of depression around me and it's these addictions that are used to mask it. I keep the depression at bay by focusing on healthy habits and patterns to fill my days. I recently went 90% off screens and became much happier.

[@uncouver]

eyeroll

[@bridaw8557]

What made you come back? This is also social media because comments. I want to break free too.

[@dellananjo4379]

Nothing better than being happy with peace without needing. U just are happy for the beauty u have.

[@konstantinrebrov675]

Just rewatch Avatar the Last Airbender series once more. See the example of teenagers traveling around the world together, surviving in the woods, helping the villagers, and fighting against the military. That is the real life right there. They didn't have any depressions or addictions because they had an active lifestyle. Moreover, they had a mission to achieve, which gives people a purpose in life. Without having a purpose in life, it's very easy to slip into addiction and depression.

[@user-be6ld6jk6k]

I am addicted to sugar. I feel like society downplays it, so I tell myself it’s not so bad. But it’s actually really good for me to hear someone calling it out such as here. I’m hoping and praying I can conquer it.

[@vampoftrance]

Read a book from the 70s called Addiction and Compulsion it may save your life.

[@user-be6ld6jk6k]

@@vampoftrance thank you 🙏🏻

[@bleachdiet559]

Look up Thomas Delauer. I find his videos very helpful for nutrition and fitness

[@bleachdiet559]

@K

[@konstantinrebrov675]

My cousin is also addicted to sugar, and eats candy like a drug.

[@thehubrisoftheunivris2432]

Thank you for making this. I'm a former heroin addict. Learning to control my addictions revealed how out of control addiction is with pretty much everyone these days, especially addiction to attention and likability. We seem to be willing to ignore some horribly dangerous addictions, while demonizing less dangerous but over-stigmatized addictions.

[@edgeofoctober]

I’m 52, and I’ve just been constantly swapping addictions my whole life. I’ll quit vaping only to become addicted to porn, then to something else, and so on. It took me a long time to realize what I was doing. I’ll do anything to relieve the feelings of nervousness, anxiety, and depression.

[@johnmccarthy7195]

Embrace those addictions, avoid harm.

[@victoraraoz75]

wtf kind of advise is that? lol@@johnmccarthy7195

[@Name3rdGearVTACK]

@@johnmccarthy7195 What garbage advice... Sorry you have given up.

[@johnmccarthy7195]

Given up?? I'm living the good life addictions and all.@@Name3rdGearVTACK

[@pierrecibandit3877]

I was addicted to hard drugs for 5 years, opiates and coca. speed and anything pills. and it almost cost me my life, I was lucky more than once. I think its so sad how common addiction (to anything) is so common now. I pray for those of you who still struggle with it, I hope youll pull through.

[@SevenTheMisgiven]

If you were and you compare this to phones then I think the drugs took your brain. I have never met a drug addict who thinks this lightly about the drugs they used. And comparing it to phones is just really fucking dumb. It's like you made up a whole character with a story to justify the fact you use your phone too much. A more likely scenario really.

[@user-zt4zr7eg6z]

Anyone uses social media. Like 99%.

[@NazriB]

Lies again? Extract Alcohol Halal Coordinator

[@johnmccarthy7195]

I've been doing hard drugs on & off for the past 55 plus years. No alcohol in 40 years. I'm happy..

[@atmosrepair]

was able to quit cigarettes by telling myself that I will just have one later, and ignoring the impulse at that moment, and before you know it, you're thinking about something else. I even kept one last Marlboro, it's my lucky cigarette. If I said I quit now for good no more, it was too much separation anxiety and worry how I can make it in the future. Ignoring that desire that pops up, does resemble choking a demon out of yourself, at first it is tussle and struggling a lot, but it gradually weakens, and weakens, and then it flops dead, and you let go of the choke, and it falls right to the floor!

[@jennifermoody6987]

Very intriguing perspective!

[@mm76.9]

Nice. I've made a similar rule for myself every time I feel the urge to buy something (clothes, accessories, furniture, etc): I give myself three days. I leave _whatever-it-is_ at the shopping cart or just leave the store I'm in and I think "if I still want it in three days I'll buy it". The funny part is that the vast majority of times I simply don't remember for weeks what I wanted to buy. Like you mention in your case, less (or indefinite) time should work for "smaller" things like smoking a cig or getting that candy near the cashier at the store.

[@dellananjo4379]

currently quitting tobacco. Quitting that is love to urself. Nicotine is a big issue for us and is addictive. Enjoying smoking or w/e u ingest tobacco on occasions can be a tremendous experience.

[@willacheson5682]

I've quit smoking/vaping myself in the past but found myself relapsing when I joined university. However I've made sure I don't make it habitual anymore and pretty much always smoke socially. It's no longer something I think about 24/7. 4 months in and I've kept it that way. I have faith that this will ultimately make it easier to fully quit some time in the future

[@atmosrepair]

@@willacheson5682 yes the urges get less and less frequent. I'm on 15 months cold turkey now, and I haven't had a craving for a couple of weeks! One problem is the old movies, they all have chainsmokers. "Out of sight, out of mind."

[@TABandiTA]

I think family, friends and love are the most addicting ones with the worst withdraw. When i'm alone i play wow, drink, eat sugary foods more often.. to fill that emptiness. Addicts are not bad people, they just need some love.

[@christiangonzalez6945]

This, is not the Facebook. It's that your Facebook friends are better that your lack of real life friends. And I don't mean that as a insult, is the modern life shit of people slaved to their jobs, not having time to the real stuff, so people have to fill the void with shit.

[@kerrymarris4260]

No more.. Never gonna get it ...

[@fuzzypanda1684]

I'll take it one step farther. When we're young, we develop coping mechanisms without realizing it. If you have good friends, a close or large family, you learn to rely on others in moments of struggle, and they not only help you deal, they help you get back on your feet stronger than you were before. If need be, through tough love. However, if you're an outcast with no friends, you learn to distrust and not like people. If you have a broken, small or disconnected family, you find your coping mechanisms elsewhere. Often times, that becomes substances or other destructive methods. At first they take your problems away and make you feel better. But they don't help you get back on your feet or become stronger. Quite the contrary, they actually weaken your ability to deal with bad things, while simultaneously not solving your existing problems. So your problems grow, while your ability to deal with them shrinks. Eventually, you have to use anytime anything slightly bad happens just to deal with the anxiety and depression and cannot get through the day without it. By then, it's too late. Addicts are not bad people. They're people who were tossed aside at a young age, bullied, outcast and whose life was a living hell. Then, because the universe is particularly cruel, they go on to spend their lives in various deep, dark pits of depression, despair and torment, with no idea how to get out. Constantly lying to anyone who asks how things are going, and then using again because being reminded of how bad their life has gotten only deepens the despair... Of course, this is only hearsay, I'm definitely not speaking from personal experience or anything....

[@jennifermoody6987]

​​@@fuzzypanda1684 that was incredibly detailed and insightful for someone who never experienced it.. I can certainly understand, agree with and even respect much of what you said my friend .. not that I have any personal experience either though.. just saying 😉😉🤗🤗👏👏🙏🙏

[@fuzzypanda1684]

@Jennifer Moody Lol, for real though, when you've gone through it, it's easy to understand. You can see it in other people as well, especially kids. It's really sad because I look at them and see myself at their age and feel so bad for the life they're going to live. Thanks for reading that way too long comment btw.

[@bonniedrasco8166]

This is absolutely brilliant! Thank you 🙏🏾 “There’s an old saying regarding addiction and addictive behaviour! ‘It’s not what you use, it’s the fact that you use” which in layman terms for anyone who maybe slightly confused! If you do anything obsessively and all the time whether it be alcohol, recreational drugs, gambling, social media, multiple relationships etc etc! The fact is you’re addicted

[@fernfunk]

being a workaholic, a gym nut, prescription drugs...

[@Kirbychu1]

The realization that I can't even watch this video without constantly refreshing social media

[@BloodSweatandFears]

When I was doing this I finally deleted it from my phone. I was bored for a while but my mental health has improved by quite a lot. It’s worth it completely.

[@Yetaxa]

@@BloodSweatandFears I've done that many times but something eventually compells me to see again. The intense worry of what I'm missing out.

[@BloodSweatandFears]

@@Yetaxa As long as the short form scrolling (TikTok, reels, shorts) it shouldn’t be as bad. Short scrolling has been proven to ruin your dopamine levels, that’s why people get addicted. I still use KZbin long formatted videos, and Instagram but I only use it for photos, not video content.

[@Yetaxa]

@@BloodSweatandFears yeah that's the aim. I've cut out some of the worst offenders. twitter was the absolute worst. Musk ruining it aided in that, but some things are still hard to cut

[@BloodSweatandFears]

@@Yetaxa What annoyed me the most about twitter is just the absolutely huge amount of new advertisements added. Even in comment sections are ads wtf?!

[@YTAnalyzed]

How to tell if you are addicted to something: Take a 1-2 week vacation, where you completely abandon everything you do in your daily routine, and see if you get withdrawals of something.

[@villemononen5303]

Yes indeed. And much clarity will be gained.

[@iamjimb]

But I need food and water man

[@RoachCutscenes]

@@iamjimb Weak

[@lazypunk794]

I think I would actually be fine if I had good company. But once I get back I will back to binging KZbin

[@_Chessa_]

I do this without realizing on vacation.. I go back to online right after the week is up.

[@Rey-jj1yf]

I have watched a total of around 200 videos related to my problem and this is the one that best explains it and the solution. I felt so lost but finally after so many videos from many creators I finally CLEARLY understood everything. Big talent, it all started like it wasn't going to be that good, as if it was going to be repetitive information that I had already seen, but your way of telling the story + obvious incredible research was amazing. I can see you put hours into looking for information related to this. Very good job and well done. In my opinion one of the best videos I have ever seen. Respect!

[@harmhoeks5996]

And continue watching 😊

[@jucxox]

I’ve done alcohol, hard drugs, sex, internet addiction etc. Quitting smoking cigarettes was the hardest darkest place I was. It was the last thing I quit. I even had to use food to help me quit smoking. I smoked for ten years and always told myself I could quit when I wanted to and would do so before ten years. I wanted to not live. I told myself if I can’t even have one vice what’s the point to life? My awareness of these dark thoughts made me feel so pathetic, it helped me to quit for good. I went a year before relapsing back into smoking for 7 months. It made me ashamed of myself and that I lost the one thing I could feel proud about. It’s been over a year and I’ll never go back. It’s been too much work and was too hard to start the cycle ever again. I’m still not good at managing my switch to food addiction, and I’m not good with my internet addiction either, but I’m so proud of myself for going sober. I really pride myself on my sobriety especially because I have zero support to help me and have had to actually cut off a lot of life long family and friends. I hope we can all break our addiction and do it for ourselves. That’s the only way to beat addiction.

[@jabaqbhaltazar5652]

so, what do you think may be the source of the resistance factor from relapse.

[@annehoskins5795]

I would like to talk about an addiction many people may not consider... religious experiences. These experiences have the same effect as the drug Ecstasy. I attended an interdenominational prayer group in my town one night a week. I never had much of a social life and I joined because I was going through a crisis at the time which was giving me extreme anxiety. Attending these meetings gave me a sense of calm which would help me make it through the week during the period in which I was experiencing the crisis. I felt a sense of community and emotional support. After being in this group for a year, things begin to sour. I had a falling out with some of the leaders of the group. Problem was, I felt closer to these people than I really was. In other words, my reality didn't mesh with their reality. I was forced to drop out of this group. It was so devastating, that I had to be hospitalized. After that I kept searching for other groups where I could still get that "feel good" experience. I realize now it was an addiction at a time when I was most vulnerable.

[@micfleet5539]

Indeed, a rude awakening can almost be shocking when we realise that we fooled ourselves...

[@dijaouija]

You can see it when recovered substance addicts convert to a religion after remaining sober. They go as hard as they did with the drugs with the religious content, clinging to the spiritual communities and beliefs, urging others to convert. To me, they just replaced one drug with another. But, at least adherence to a religion is less likely to physically hurt your bodily health, and often rehabilitation programs admit the belief in a higher power is necessary to overcome the habits that come with addiction. Guess the key is balance. Thank you for sharing.

[@unconventionalideas5683]

@@dijaouijaIt can actually help, as social interactions provide notable health benefits, and religious organizations can provide direct benefits to their communities, if they are doing things right.

[@Anonymous-fj2uo]

​@@dijaouija I wouldn't label religious experiences as another form of addiction for several reasons: 1. Addictions have a devastating effect on people's lives. 2. There are people who've been alcohol/drug addicts for years, never able to break free on their own. One day they cry out to Jesus, their life is then completely changed. To me, that's just evidence that God exists (among many other reasons). We've all got a God shaped hole in our hearts that we are constantly trying to fill with something, but only surrender and a relationship with Jesus will give the peace people are looking for. I would class it as a human need for a connection with God, rather than addiction as it doesn't fit the criteria of addiction. I wouldn't know what it would take for you to believe it God, as you may have the assumption that any sign would be a 'delusion or illusion. I would also like to add that the human need for community is certainly not classed as an 'addiction to community, it is rather a vital component for people's wellbeing.

[@SahilShaikh-xx3qk]

Kudos to the creator for crafting such insightful and high-quality video on social media addiction! The depth of research truly highlights the impact of this issue. Excellent work! 🎉

[@timeck7033]

One of the best KZbin documentaries I have seen in a very long time! Captivating, thought-provoking and educational. The pacing was beautiful and the quality was impressive. Thank you for this video!

[@kezmenflowers8691]

I've battled with all types of addiction. From sex, social media, food, masterbation, drinking, drugs and tobacco. I even one point had an addiction to exercise when I was losing weight to join the Marines. Addiction has really held me back and I overcame the drugs and heavy drinking and slowly getting control over my over eating and social media addiction. All of those things I used to escape reality but now I'm accepting reality more and the addictions are slowly fading away. My childhood sucked so eating was my escape because it made me feel high and better than what I was feeling. Now that I'm in a more peaceful environment I had time to fight my demons by facing them and also praying about it. Life is a big learning process and I only want to get better with age. My sex addiction Im getting more control over but I love sex😅.

[@ninamartin1084]

Hey doesn't everyone?

[@kezmenflowers8691]

@@ninamartin1084 some people don't like sex. They find it disgusting

[@r1cklain]

@@kezmenflowers8691 well thats me lol, would rather js beat the desire out then plough in lmao.

[@johnmccarthy7195]

Embrace them avoid harm.

[@ThatManInASuit]

I'm pretty sure I could develop a sex addiction, unfortunately, no woman on planet earth wants to have sex with me

[@RT710.]

This one was a really powerful one for me, and that's saying a lot from someone who thinks every one of Then&Now's productions is powerful. I nearly lost my life from a chemical addiction and I continue to deal with and suffer from all sorts of less intense addictions. I feel as though the society that I live in is designed to completely encapsulate my weaknesses and exploit them for as much as possible without any regard for my humanity whatsoever. I feel like I have almost no control. Things need to change

[@pvt.pineapple9008]

While intentional or unintentional, I really appreciate the first scene where you start discussing addiction with alcohol in your hand and slowly set it back down. Showing control over the substance. That was brilliant.

[@thatguy9211-q8o]

You noticed the little "trick" with the wine eh?

[@susanallen9849]

I find myself layering my addiction. I listen to a KZbin video at the same time as scrolling social media….all while trying to get some work done. Hayyyyyyllllpppp!

[@liotapeur]

Me, completely addicted to KZbin watching a video about my addiction to videos

[@miapdx503]

Yes, this is my addiction. I have to make myself put my phone down and accomplish something.

[@Anders01]

Internet addiction! I recently thought about that. And it's not only for example TikTok having an AI algorithm optimized for addiction or that people use their smartphones all the time, but the use of the internet in general has become a general addiction.

[@SevenTheMisgiven]

Wow you are already here in 2023? Damn. Very impressive.

[@user-zt4zr7eg6z]

Of course. Always online. Its also depending. You are supposed to have a phone.

[@pokerynia]

I feel like being ASDHD has been a blessing for me in regards to addiction. It's not that I'm immune, but I'm easily overwhelmed and it's impossible for an addiction to last more than a few weeks for me. This combination has led to me automatically ignoring most notifications, if they're even on. And I pace myself on everything because otherwise i'll burn out on it in a few weeks.

[@Jenny-vm3yu]

That’s a really cool take and highlights how everyone with ADHD is soo different! Personally I’ve always struggled with addiction, just not in the traditional way (recovered hardcore nicotine addiction) until I was an adult. It all started with TV shows, movies and books for me probably from the age of 6. I would become so obsessed with a fandom that it was all I could think about. I would write fan-fiction instead of revising for my exams in high school lol. I still get fandom obsessed to this day but as you pointed out, it changes due to ADHD and I just move on to the next shiny fandom. Although, it’s the same addiction. It has taken me almost 4 years to beat nicotine addiction. I always thought it would be fine as I lose interest in stuff…I didn’t even consider a physical addiction and craving. I was only an occasional social smoker before lockdown and thought I was immune to nicotine. Then I became addicted in March 2020 and I’m finally permanently free of all nicotine in January 2024. Ooof. I have so many regrets.

[@xxdevilx3]

I have an Internet addiction, just like practically everyone my age. This may be a strange way of looking at things but what saddens me most is the collective alienation we experience not only in relation to other humans but to ourselves, our inner-lives; the creative background of our personality. Due to the constant bombardment of programming assaulting our minds on a daily basis we only ever get a break from it (sort of) when we're fully unconscious in sleep. The result is that we are molded and shaped into a generic being that pales in comparison to the fruits of our extraordinary ability to look into our own souls for who we are and how to become who we are. People nowadays have nothing in themselves, not a single treasure that would make them truly independent, if only in thought. We will see what happens to society when it is occupied with people who resemble more "unlived life" than life...

[@GuitarsRgood7]

I am addicted to constantly having a video in the background. Whether it be at work, doing chores, working out, etc. It doesn't seem so bad because I tend to go for educational things, and content to improve my skills. But the problem is that it can be too distracting. And it's hard to not have a video in the background.

[@glitchedoom]

I have this issue too, but I live alone and really hate the complete silence. It's a hard balance to keep.

[@SombreroPharoah]

Music. Honestly, back in 80s/90s, heck, 2000s. There was music, everywhere. Radio, CD, Cassettes. Everywhere you went. The world's actually peculiarly quiet now. I'd not really thought about it before, just how much so. But your comment really made that difference so striking. Back when we had music everywhere, all the time. We had noise for company, but not noise that took us away from ourselves.

[@Zeeboklown]

I was addicted to social media/webcam chatrooms for years in my late teens. I got out of it, but honestly, I have great memories with my friends from back then. We had a little club thing going on. I made some great friends that way. But I was addicted. If my father cut off the internet cus he'd be mad about something, and I'd totally go into withdrawals. It didn't help I was homeschooled and treated like the outside world wasn't supposed to know I existed, and my internet friends were the ONLY human interaction I had. So it really hurt to take it away from me for weeks

[@zocco15az]

You quote an example of why it was good for you it was wrong of your dad and damageing.😢

[@user-zt4zr7eg6z]

Not a clear addiction. Also social contacts.

[@theobserver9131]

Looking for a healthier "fix"? Might I suggest gardening? It's got all the things; success/failure ratio, getting your nutrients right for best growth, "enemies" like bugs and plant diseases, and great rewards for skilful "gameplay", and dopamine simply for playing.

[@alrightyru]

At least this video is making me reconsider what I'm doing with my time on the internet... so I've just installed my local library app to listen to online books and podcasts 🙌

[@theobserver9131]

@@alrightyru I'm pretty hooked on audiobooks myself. There are a LOT of them here on yt. I'm a scifi nut.

[@alrightyru]

@@theobserver9131 to you like Iain M Banks? RIP 🙏

[@theobserver9131]

@@alrightyru I'm not sure.....I have heard the name and I had to look him up to see that he is an author. I'll have to look into some of his work, being a scifi fan. It's possible that I've enjoyed his work without realizing it.

[@theobserver9131]

@@alrightyru What titles do you like?

[@dylanlanham-cook2706]

The editing on this channel is great, always very engaging

[@jenmdawg]

Excellent presentation. I quit social media 7 years ago and it was hard - very hard for all kinds of reasons including my connections and livelihood and it is still a struggle.

[@jenmdawg]

@@navodar5174 fair! But I feel I am able to curate what I see and don’t see. YT and Reddit have both had a hugely positive impact on my life - making me a better person.

[@CT-pv9gu]

Social media is especially bad for us. When you’re not living that fun exciting life that you see other people living it really messes us up psychologically. FOMO is a real thing and it makes you feel awful

[@xyketh0n]

I noticed this about myself a long time ago… had to put strict time/quantity limits on anything that wasn’t actually productive, and high led to me doing the same thing with productive pursuits, then had to limit myself there as well. Thank you for this video, I quite enjoyed it!

[@f.libaax7408]

Thank you for the video! It is wonderful. I took a few note for myself: 0:00 Intro - Kinds of Addictions 1:32 Scarcity and Abundance 2:30 Statistics (Overdose Deaths, Opioid, Alcohol, Smoking, Social Media Addiction, Videogames, Facebook, Instagram, Phones, Gambling, Online Shopping) 3:17 Quote: Kent Dunnington 3:55 Def: Addiction (Pull & Harmful Consequences) 5:07 Similarities between Substance Addiction and Behavior Addictions (Identical with Wow Addict) 5:33 Quote: Adam Alter (Irresistible) 5:55 Historic Change to postmodern addictions, Mitchell Kapor (Where is the Digital Highway Really Heading?, 1993), 7:10 Quote: Anna Lambke (Dopamine Nation) 7:30 Def: Limbic Capitalism (David Courtright) - What, Institutionalisation 8:44 Quote: Girolamo Cardano, (Hieronymi Cardani Mediolanensis Opera Omnia, cura Carolii Sponii, 1663) 8:56 Behavioural Science: Gambling (Manipulation of the environment), Big Tech (Opening App, Share, Conversion Rates) 9:36 Dopamine (Reward, Expectation of Reward, Addiction, Homeostasis, Rarity, Baseline, Withdraw, Tolerance, Pursue) 11:48 Dopamine & Memory (Cues/Hooks, Examples, Limbic Capitalism) 13:48 Heavy User Problem (Alcohol Sales/Gamling 80:20 Ratito, 1% Social Media Creator and Social Media Fact Sheet) 14:09 Appeal to Vulnerable People 14:31 41% had a behavior addiction over the last 12 months (Alter, Why We Can't Look Away From Our Screens) 14:40 Abundance together with an unfulfilled need eases addiction (examples predictors, design for dopamine release) 16:10 Ubiquitary or Hooks (Technological life, Odyeeus, and the Sirens, Temptation) 18:07 Quote: Tim Wu about Emails (History of Attention) and The True Cost of Email and IM (70% read within 6 sec) 18:58 Attention Competition (corporate hook or get out hooked) 19:24 Quote: Tim Wu about Automatic/Controlled Attention (The Attention Merchants) 20:03 Quote: Aldous Huxley - Mass Communication and Distractions (Brave New World Revisited, 1958) 20:20 Goals as a Hook (Social Media Metrics, Sport/Game Performances) 20:44 Quote: Adam Alter about Exposure to goals (Irresistible), Closing of Gap between performance and possibility 21:19 Why do we become addicted to social media? (Novelty, Variable Reinforcement, Luck ambassadors) 23:10 Thought Exp: James Williams about weak-willed society (deliver an endless supply of informational rewards) 23:40 Quote: Prof. Greenfield, Internet as world's largest slot machine (virtual-addiction.com/) 24:17 Quote: Stanton Peele - Addiction & Ecology (Vietnam War heroine addicts Veterance come home) 25:51 Quote: Wiliams Computers as wonderful machines that also appeal to lower parts of us 26:08 Combat post-modern addictions: Better educate yourself, create responsible Landscapes to protect people 26:32 Abstinence is not enough, focus on psychological needs 26:52 Quote: Anne Lembik (about the use of high-dopamine distraction from our thoughts) 27:00 Replace the addiction with something (new, more meaningful, and fulfills the same needs) 27:40 Example: AA (avoid hooks and cues, because the expectation is difficult to resist), Twitter, Notifications 28:10 'Just resist' Limbic temptation is naive (Design and Laws to change the landscape of hooks and cues) 28:40 Quote: Tristan Harris (willpower is not enough when there are 1000, who want to break your self-regulation) 28:50 Quote: D. Vivrekar, (MSc thesis, Persuasive Design Techniques in the Attention Economy, 2018) 29:15 Focus your Attention on demanding the landscape you desire 29:48 Danger for Kids (50% addicted to phones, self-harm on the rise, excessive gaming/social media & neg. mental health ) 30:13 Preventing an early addiction reduces the risk of it later, 30:40 Quote: Alter (bombarded with responsibilities, learn to medicate by taking substances or behaviors) 30:53 Children: Social Media Use & Social Pressure (=> Responsibility falls on institutions) 31:27 Quote: Matthew Crawford (vacuum of cultural authority has been filled, opportunistically) 32:55 Possible Change to Landscape: Limiting Access, Regulations, Cultural and Social Expectations/Pressure 34:48 Quote: Wael Ghonim (about the duty to build algorithms that drive the best, (Algorithms of fear)) 35:33 Quote: Zygmunt Bauman (gap right of self-assertion and the control the social settings, poisonous effluvia) 36:12 Final Words

[@nermo.artist]

damn, those are some detailed notes. Good job. Impressive.

[@vishalnangare31]

Great, thanks for sharing 🙏🙏

[@exMuteKid]

I was basically forced into a substance abuse problem in high school because I look middle because I'm 20 and I was mute for the first 19 years of my life so as a result I'm literally starving for social interaction because I never made any friendships due to not speaking. And then the stupid pandemic basically turned my room into a jail cell.

[@stanleykubrick8786]

Did you try masturbating? They say it's more powerful than cocaine

[@Skoopyghost]

Basically 2022 foeced me to get sober because I tried yoga.

[@stevetrail2307]

Rooting for you bro. Struggling with my own demons too.

[@ekaiken6671]

Don't give up, there are all kinds of people out there that you can meet and make friends with. High school is a horror for lots of people

[@Vibrantly_Monochromatic]

You need someone to talk to?

[@axelnilsson2031]

regarding opioids it really isn't the expectation of the opioid high that keeps you from abstaining, it's very much the actual effects of the opioids and the ever present threat of the hell that is withdrawal the expectation comes in once you are sober and your brain forgets the hell of withdrawing but not the opioid high

[@LordMcKrakenVonLittleBits]

After Myspace's demise I quit all of it. KZbin is it and I only listen to it while working. Thanks, by the way, for helping me pass the time and get educated. I'm a maintenance tech and have lots of time to myself while working. Helps to distract from the mundane by listening to something informative.

[@RhianKristen]

Something I've always wondered is where exactly the line is between addiction and just doing something you really like. The answer I usually get is: if it interferes with you living your life. What does that mean? How would playing video games 12 hours a day, everyday interfere with my life if that's what I want for my life? Would that be considered an addiction? Or is it only an addiction if I feel like I can't stop playing even if I wanted to?

[@kimbradshaw1480]

Yeah - if you really really really want to go to the beach on a nice day but can't drag yourself away from the screen, that would sum it up! Nice point.

[@Ooopsi]

It becomes addiction when feelings of compulsion and anxiety start accumulating if you don't do the activity you're addicted to.

[@Trylobyte]

If thats genuinely all you want in life then fine -but if you wanted other things and you couldnt get away from the screen to do them then its a problem for you.

[@suzannecarter445]

I'm happy to wait a while for videos that are carefully researched and produced. You never disappoint!

[@Gettingback997]

Thanks!

[@hpalpha7323]

Hard to tell the difference between doing something because you're addicted vs doing it because you simply enjoy it

[@SL-es5kb]

The difference is if you recognize that thing or the amount you are doing it is harming your life but you continue…

[@usersdksdfg]

for me it's easy. i'm addicted to porn, but I play basketball simply because I enjoy doing it

[@mrmacedon]

To enjoy is to do something that is hard with ease, like gym

[@deeppurple883]

It's trying to do without whatever that might be. See how you act without it. 🤔

[@edie4321]

+ No, it's not, you're addicted.

[@aaron65312]

Pro life tip: you can change imprinting. Try using negative association. Run up a lot of debts, suddenly your phone vibrating creates fear not dopamine. Personally, I just minimise access to things like social media. Install it in one device you don’t use all the time. That way you’ve got to go out of your way to use it, it’s less accessible, your less likely to casually use it to pass the time.

[@SmithWhite-pf9kq]

Loolllllll @ the run up a lot of debts part

[@michaeladkins6]

@@SmithWhite-pf9kq Dont do that.

[@prettyhatemachine8887]

Dude... Right before he said "Aldous Huxley" I thought to myself "Brave New World". It's becoming more and more obvious that we're not just heading towards a mixture of a Brave New World, 1984 and Fahrenheit 451 - like society, but we're being consciously engineered to help build that prison-like society for ourselves, by a small group of corporations, elites and world leaders and politicians, and what surprises me the most about it, is the speed with which it's happening, and the fact that most people don't even notice that it's happening.

[@joycewright5386]

I was thinking the same thing! They will more easily put us in bondage by offering constant pleasures (Brave New World), than by Orwell’s 1984 rules and regulations with the threat of punishment.

[@prettyhatemachine8887]

@@joycewright5386 Yeah, but there'll still be a 1984-like phase for the "problem" phase of the "problem, reaction, solution" plan. Also, they seem to want to implement the Ministry of Truth part of 1984 into their plan for us. but as for everything else, it's so like brave new world and Fahrenheit 451, that they even wrote about in their vision for the future on the WEF website, about people who refuse to live in this new world they're building, and how they're basically going to live in those "reservations" that were depicted in Brave New World, where people live "The old" lifestyle and how it sucks without the elite's support (the current economy).

[@Qrr0wned]

I'm addicted to videos about spirituality, personal growth, philosophy & stoicism. It's actually pretty nice👌

[@acb9896]

That 1500 people (non live) or at least get a severe injury Every day from staring at their phones while crossing streets is the real sad part. If you do this, and you probably do, please dont look suprised when you find your self propelled with force a different direction than you intended.

[@Toni-zk9rx]

I wish everyone could see this video. People need to be aware of the harm that the addiction pandemic caused by the social media attention driven algorithms have cause and will cause if we don't stop this.

[@evodevo420]

I think a big part of this is how we often ignore that we humans are as much emotional beings as we are intelligent ones. Emotions are always relegated in our discussions, decision making processes and world views to our own demise

[@sarahton270]

those types of videos make me so concerned and a bit sad because I basically grew up with the internet, and started having a severe addiction to it at 13. I will be 23 at the end of this year. It has been almost 10 years that I'm really addicted and have had huge difficulties controlling myself. I have tried more than 5 times, I don't use social media anymore BUT I "transformed" my Instagram addiction to a youtube addiction, if I quit youtube then it's become another internet kind of addiction. I think my brain is now easy prey for the internet. The "fun fact" is that I'm not bad at having discipline, I have stopped smoking for example, I have loose weight by controlling my overeating disorder, and I have a bachelor's that I worked really hard for. But the internet is the most strange addiction ever because it's everywhere, we need it for everything, it's almost part of us. But I'm still dissatisfied because I don't draw anymore, I don't do sports anymore, and I don't read anymore.

[@Josko-v1u]

This video was so helpful. I’ve been struggling with social media addiction for years and trying to take control is one step forward 4 steps back. This is the year I hope to gain freedom. 2 weeks No contact with my IG but gaining all the tools like this vid, books, therapy and addictive programs. 99,9% of us have no idea what we are using. Thank you for this vid.

[@howardmueller1535]

Addiction is a symptom of a deeper problem; it’s another coping mechanism. A way to temporarily escape to numb ourselves.

[@visiblygnomed177]

The basic mechanisms that this video is describing are classical conditioning and cue reactivity. The future may seem pretty dystopian (and it is) but learning about the science behind the process of conditioning can really help to understand why we give significance to the cues that we do and can help us to recondition ourselves

[@DJ-GASM]

This is so revealing and enlightening. I appreciate the hell out of you and this video

[@bobolishis7]

Is it strange that knowing you smoke made me feel more communal when it comes to the struggle. Funny how the mind works. We all want liberation from what once gave us immense joy...

[@domm1341]

Thanks

[@johnbrava6408]

occupy your mind with observing the moment do not distract yourself love the light that comes from within you

[@predawnbread]

I deleted all my social media five years ago and it was one of the most beneficial decisions I have made so far. It was after learning at university about the ventral tegmental area and how these companies really do exploit our own fucking brains just so we spend our limited time on their vapid nonense, it also put me off research science as I realised any research I did would potentially help companies exploit peoples brains further. Meaningful ways to spend your time rarely begin with an app, you only have one life don't spend most of it online especially not on social media.

[@Meghan144]

KZbin is social media

[@discipleadamos9527]

Repent and surrender to Jesus. The end is truly near. The rapture of the church will happen, and a fake alien invasion, realistic hologram technology by project blue beam, ww3, natural disatsers etc..

[@discipleadamos9527]

​@@Meghan144Repent and surrender to Jesus. The end is truly near. The rapture of the church will happen, and a fake alien invasion, realistic hologram technology by project blue beam, ww3, natural disatsers etc..

[@discipleadamos9527]

​@@Meghan144kzbin.info/www/bejne/oobSlYioe8yKicksi=uj6aQRRXMRB4Xijz

[@discipleadamos9527]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/oobSlYioe8yKicksi=uj6aQRRXMRB4Xijz

[@MV-vv7sg]

That Mitchel Kapor line is disturbingly adroit accurate and apt. It is telling that the most intelligent can tell us of our future misdeeds and dangerous paths and yet we end up down them anyway. We are tragically doomed and flawed and predictable so. Which makes it all the more tragic for me.

[@Juline1221]

Watching this while indulging in my addiction is like taking the red pill lmao 🤣

[@gameaddictgonewild777]

Weed and energy drinks< You should stop using them.

[@Juline1221]

@@gameaddictgonewild777 I can't do the energy drinks god no

[@gameaddictgonewild777]

@@Juline1221 replace addictions with disciplines. Make smoking a cigarette, costly. Make smoking green, even more costly. By forcing yourself to do a x amount of pushups, for every J you smoke, or every cigarette, you will experience the effect of not wanting to smoke, legit. Quitting is super hard. For me the thought of not doing something i loved for so long was unbearable, so i did it this way. My habit of bad consumption became a better habit. I started to eat well, so i could do the pushups better for my J's. Now i barely smoke J's, and i replaced cigarette's with vape. (The future will tell if its a better option than smoking tobacco but i think it is). I know the struggles of indulging in bad habits, and at first everything seems fine. But disaster is building up, and when it finally hits you, it will hurt more than just a vew push ups. Sorry for the speech, i wish you the best.

[@Juline1221]

@@gameaddictgonewild777 I like how u jumped to assumptions. I mean we all can do better but I think I'm doing ok. My only addiction is weed and making beats. My audio engineering skills got me an internship so if smoking weed worst thing I can do. I don't mind my habits. Especially since one of them is my career of something that I love to do

[@gameaddictgonewild777]

@@Juline1221 :I I asked you, weed and energy drinks. You said, i cannot do energy drinks. So, yeah. Obviously i assume that you smoke weed, and i am right. But whatever bro. The average addict always does "allright". Here. Its copied. I recommend watching the full video but i assume you wouldn't because its a seminair of 4 hours and i assume that you do way too allright, to study self development, even tho it can save you from the accumulated disasters i got. Be smarter in your philosophy The definition of failure is the following: A few errors in judgment repeated every day Jim Rohn told a story about his father, how he used to eat a midnight snack every night. His father would eat an apple and some graham crackers before bed. He did this because he believed in the saying “an apple a day keeps the doctor away”. Jim brought that up, because this story is a wonderful example of a good philosophy. He also stated that some people with poor philosophies tend to mix up this simple saying. The saying says an apple a day, not a Hershey bar a day. Mr. Rohn brought this up to insist not to develop the wrong ideas. To never think “I’m healthy enough now”. To spark the question, “What’s that going to cost me down the road?”. This is why personal philosophy is so important. Jim Rohn explained that disaster occurs when people use the words; “You could, you should, you don’t, you won’t” etc. One question that was stressed by Jim, was the question “Are there errors in my current judgment?”. If so, that leads to another term Jim used, called Accumulated Disaster- Errors in judgment, and being lax about developing your own personal philosophy. “If a guy has an empty bank account, he probably has high cholesterol. Why? Because he probably didn’t pay attention to either”. ~Jim Rohn

[@Tamsin_bear]

My addiction was bulimia. The compulsion was so strong, I felt like I HAD to do it no matter how harmful it was to my body, the impact on my life etc. It really messed up my life for a while

[@hillarytrotter9240]

This is the best youtube video I've seen in a long time. I don't think Facebook will let this one stay public very long if I share it.

[@skybluskyblueify]

Just like dog training like a good dog trainer we need to set ourselves up for success.There is no honor in strength and bravery if you know you will fail far more times than not. Make it easy to do the healthy thing and refuse to beat yourself up if you fail every once in a while.

[@martinam2588]

i have a problem with phone addiction and i’m trying to overcome it… i’ve been looking for stimulating videos about the topic and then i found this MASTERPIECE. this video is wonderful, thank you so much!

[@adcaptandumvulgus4252]

The addictions will increase as society continues to forgo morals/ethics & we need to cope more with daily life, from overloading

[@AlaskaCraftyGalVictoria]

I gave up my cell phone for a year! It was the most relaxing year of my life. I had to get a new one as I needed a phone for basic communication. I have seriously considered getting rid of it again but I won’t only because of video chatting with kids and grandkids.

[@martinmichalek]

Been watching for a long time-brother, this is the one that really did it for me. You're so good at making lectures (I detest that word content) that are engaging, but god this one really hit home. Thank you so much for this. Really helped me just to know there's someone out there trying to get out of it, too.

[@nathanryan8555]

wow, fantastic analysis and commentary, thanks for a great video and a real eye opener - wish this got across to more people to see what society is really doing to us all...

[@eeyoretriple6]

im addicted to this channel

[@ontheline3077]

one of the healthy ones

[@chaosdweller]

Yer name ? haha!

[@MrDeath537]

I struggle so much trying to find a balance between deleting my social media and not become isolated, also suffering from anxiety and depression 😔 Thanks for the video and great work!

[@awinesrai5996]

Bro quit instagram or facebook Its whole root of your depression I have also quited it 1 months ago Before that i was so depressed i cant live without dark thoughts

[@Someone_that_is_very_tired]

My brother in Christ, I recommend you doing what the other bro said. I’m only 19, and I’ve been on and off social media (Mainly Instagram) multiple times Every single time I returned to it I got more anxious, depressed, and if may I say, down bad to some girls. I then finally realized the pattern and sworn to myself to never come back to it It has been 2 years and I’ve never felt this good in a very long time. Reject modernity and work on yourself to achieve solitude, find true friendships and if you want to of course look for a religion of good dogmas so you can have something to carry your cross of life Have a great life

[@ZephyrofGale]

Thank you so much for doing this It's so very helpful to get people aware. And to anyone that's thinking of reducing or outright quitting social media intake if you're not sure it's worth it give it a try you won't be disappointed.

[@matthouston6533]

Wow, this says it all. I used Facebook for one week then realised the beast it is. I was on the right path.

[@richardscathouse]

I was lucky I got banned from Facebook and Twitter over GamerGate. I never was tempted to look back

[@CirclingDuck]

Nobody runs off a list, a table, an inventory, a catalogue quite like @Then & Now 😀

[@chaosdweller]

Funny name haha.

[@CT-pv9gu]

Also - all these modern addictions are so sneaky that if you aren’t doing all of these things you’re cutting yourself off from society. That’s a road not many people want to go down… nobody knows what’s on the other side of these addictions

[@robotomija]

I am addicted to informational channels of youtube, underscoring the fact you can be addicted to almost anything. I say, let's embrace the addiction method, let's normalize it. As one of my friends said : "I had to quit quitting".

[@calebplumleeoutdoors]

As "real life" experiences become more unaffordable, this problem will increase. The cost of worthwhile and healthy experiences keeps rising. Our time that would otherwise be spent doing those, now unaffordable, activities is being replaced by whatever else we can find that fills that need of a sense of getaway. Office/corporate life is stifling and mentally destructive to many. A simple 2-3day vacation/getaway now costs more than a month of rent/mortgage. Overworked people seem to be more likely to still take the time off, but fill it with these addictive pastimes now that they don't feel like they can afford to do anything else... and the problem compounds. We used to be able to go on short trips... go skiing, golfing, visiting family, hiking, fishing, exploring, roadtrips, going out to eat... anything that provided a break from cubicles and factories and reminded us of the benefits of the pay we earned. All of those activities now make many people worry doong them would risk their financial wellbeing and we bury ourselves in substances, games, videos, etc that try to replace our own experiences with those of others or technology. Its depressing because it looks like inflation isnt going to stop soon and the former middle class will have less options yet. We did not evolve (or were created if thats your thing) to be stuck indoors and only be active on treadmills.

[@confuciuslola]

Really great points, I like the building up of the case of how overwhelming the temptations can be in the cyberspace. However I think the old definition of addiction is severely lacking in terms of the effects on psychology. With an substance addiction the behavior might be formed similar to a social media addiction. But it is the wielding of personal information that makes this behavioral pattern so hard to break. Because to function in this modern world you must have a degree of connectivity. On top of that is that the algorithm is accounting for your attempts to have a more balanced relationship with it, and tries to counteract that. I think the real wonder is how we are not more concerned with the black box that could be making any kind of choices with sophistication playing with our attention, like a cat being steered by a laserpointer. While the opague nature is being used as a shield for accountability. As for solutions in legislation, I think the focus of it should be on these algorithms and what information can be used how. Since it's the structure of the reward mechanisms that is truly manipulative. Who knows maybe a vulnerability score should be formulated that can't be targeted under a certain level. But as you can probably see from the previous example this kind of legislation can be slippery and hard to define, making it vulnerable to exploitation.

[@Way_Of_The_Light]

Best to stop reproducing and end this never ending cycle of human sufferings.

[@GoldHamSam]

exactly. And because these algorithms do account for your attempts to reevaluate your relationship to tech/cyberspace- I feel like forging a healthy balance between the real and hyperreal necessitates first removing yourself from it's grasp entirely (or at least mostly- leaving only those behaviors needed for work) and then using that time alone with your uninterrupted consciousness to rebuild a solid foundation of the self- so that the process of virtual escapism, distraction, dissociation, etc., are easier to identity and avoid when you decide to reintroduce tech back into your life.

[@Tom_Bee_]

I am addicted to KZbin. My plan is to go out into the woods with a few good books for a week and reset my dopamine thing.

[@LoveKeepsGiving]

Be careful - you might get triggered by libraries and lawns!

[@Tom_Bee_]

@@LoveKeepsGiving 😂😂😂

[@目は心の鏡]

I’m a drug addict and I can assure you technological addictions are just as severe. Even worse it’s hard to hit rock bottom from KZbin but that makes them even more dangerous to the average person. I remember when I was addicted to gaming and spent like 10 hours a day doing it. The addiction community didn’t think it was a proper addiction back in 2005ish but look at what it’s become.

[@Grannyballs420]

Omg Yes, As someone who was born in 1994, I can relate to this so much. Especially the gaming and drugs. Its only gonna get worse but at the same time life is all about choices.

[@ninamartin1084]

@@Grannyballs420 Problem is, nowadays we have too much choice.

[@kindauncool]

+@@Grannyballs420 Any female born after 1993 can't cook, all they know is McDonald's, charge they phone, twerk, be bisexual, eat hot chip, and lie.

[@chazzbranigaan9354]

Agreed, I'm an opiate addict and would sooner give them up than youtube.

[@lindatullos9430]

Really isn't the same although the mechanism is. A single dose of meth or herion or opioids can kill you and destroy your brain/body irreparably.

[@zazzenfuk]

Man, this just reaffirms my choice to work on self reflection and in the moment presence. I grew up addicted to gaming, often playing 7 hours a day on average. Now as an adult I havnt turned on my console for 3 months because I don't have the time or energy after adulting. Thank you for this video

[@Skogand1988]

Reading these comments about how it’s got us all by the tail; the first step to doing better is recognizing the problem. We are collectively becoming more aware of these things and now that we have acknowledged it we can take the steps to address it.

[@charlesbenson3992]

The one basic piece of advice I can give to everyone: TURN OFF ALL PUSH NOTIFICATIONS. even if you still pick up your phone hundreds of times a day, even if you look at your phone first thing in the morning and last at night. At the VERY LEAST you'll not have constant reminders to check certain apps. It has genuinely made my smartphone use slightly more controlled.

[@lukedegraaf1186]

Consumption is much easier than creation. It will be our downfall.

[@mechamicro]

Already seen the result, it is daunting

[@ericcarabetta1161]

I suppose one benefit to being anti-social, is I've never been addicted to social media; it just has zero appeal to me at all (aside from YT).

[@villemononen5303]

There's sides to everything. But I sympathise with you. Another benefit is that it's easy to just observe the masses in hypnosis from afar. And not get caught with many of their trappings.