MINDFULNESS
Our Social Dilem ma
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Like most of us over the past several months, I’ve been consuming more television, social media and digital content to help manage the stress and anxiety caused by the pandemic. In the past couple of weeks, at the urging of the owner and editor of this publication, I watched The Social Dilemma, a documentary current streaming on Netflix. After my initial feeling of guilt and frustration at hearing the conscious motivations of the developers of these platforms, it struck me that the corrosive nature of these services is less related to the technology itself and seems to be a reflection of our society and the vulnerability of human nature. I do my very best to apply a mindful perspective to most things in life. As I sat back to reflect on how can I prevent being consumed by technologies that have become so entrenched in our social fabric and lifestyles over the past 15 years, I could not help but to challenge part of the premise posited by the perspectives in the film. Yes, there have been multiple studies completed showing evidence of the chemical changes in our brain that occur with increased use of social media. Advertisers have done this for ages. We experience a dopamine (the feel-good chemical!) rush when we check our feeds, anticipating someone liking or commenting on a post. And I wonder if this is not any different than the anticipation people felt sitting around a radio 100 years ago or a television set 50 years ago. Yes, we as humans want and need approval, it is part of our genetic makeup and evolutionary trait that we benefit from feeling a part of a bigger community. It is our tribal nature, not something to shun. And, we cannot be totally dependent upon it for our self-worth and self-image. As I watched it through the second time, the statistics also rang true. Increased suicides, experi-
