Free # 12 Addicted to Technology

It seems as if some form of media is everywhere and anywhere we turn, making it almost impossible to avoid. With this being said, it comes to no surprise why people have, in a way, become addicted to certain forms of technology. Whether people are constantly on their cell phones checking text messages or spending an extreme amount of time on their computer, it is evident that the majority of our society spends a lot of their time using some form of technology. I began to refer to our society’s obsession with technology as an “addiction” after reading the book; Everything Bad Is Good For You by Steven Johnson. Some people play video games for the “flashy graphics, while others play for the “sex and violence.” Yet some might argue that it’s the interactivity that hooks the engagement of building your own opinion. I would agree that a main reason why people play and interact with technology is the “endless reward” the user receives. Johnson explains "a strong case can be made that the power of games to captivate involves their ability to tap into the brain’s natural reward circuitry.” (Johnson 34) Video games simply have the capability to reward the brain as well as pleasure the mind, just like other forms of technology. The body’s natural painkillers, the opioids, are the brain’s pure pleasurable drugs, while the reward system revolves around the neurotransmitter, dopamine interacting with specific receptors in a part of the brain called the nucleus accumbens.” (Johnson 34) Becoming educated on how addiction is related to video games has also allowed me to become educated of the exact reason for our society’s “addiction” with technology, as a whole.