Social media and the neuroscience of predictive processing – Mark Miller & Ben White | Aeon Essays - Deepstash
How To Break Bad Habits

Learn more about personaldevelopment with this collection

Understanding the psychological rewards of bad habits

Creating new habits to replace old ones

Developing self-discipline

How To Break Bad Habits

Discover 58 similar ideas in

It takes just

7 mins to read

The Society Of Spectacle

On social media, being good looking is important to attract a certain audience. Social media influencers are going to great lengths to appear appealing to their followers, in order to grow their fame. They spend thousands of dollars on surgeries and makeovers, making sure no fashion and lifestyle trend is left untouched.

This social media image is a high-maintenance affair, with many succumbing to mental health problems associated with the new barometers of success, as the number of likes on their Instagram posts.

46

513 reads

Neuroscience And Manageable Uncertainty

  • Digital stimuli interact with the brain like a slot-machine does, making the experience rewarding and addictive.
  • The brain prefers manageable uncertainty, needing to resolve something and feel good.

Some of the social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram act as hyper stimulators of manageable uncertainty, where digital stimuli(follows, likes and dislikes) is on high gear, affecting the brain in a fast-forward manner.

54

326 reads

The Game Of Life: Predictable Processing

According to Predictive Processing theorists, being able to manage uncertainty has been associated with living well. A majority of people are failing at checking their online addiction and self-obsession, resulting in increasing cases of depression and despair.

Depression looked from the perspective of predictive processing, is a form of ‘cognitive rigidity’ where we fail to adjust our sensitivity towards criticism or feedback from others.

53

286 reads

Fake World, Fake Self

  • Social media showcases to us a world painted with beauty, luxury and leisure, where everyone is looking good and feeling happy.
  • This is creating a gap between the fantasy world in our smartphones and the real world.
  • Apps allow us to present ourselves in the best possible way, hiding our imperfections with beauty-enhancing software, providing others with a carefully selected, curated image of ourselves.
  • In return, we get more of the same, as the world we see on social media, especially the world of influencers on Instagram, is altered to hide anything unworthy or ugly.

50

290 reads

Snapchat Surgery

  • Some apps allow people to preview the effects of cosmetic surgery on themselves virtually, making them see what will happen when they go under the knife. 
  • The lure of looking good on social media makes many go towards plastic surgery, thinking of it as the only option.
  • The average American teen spends over seven hours a day online, according to a 2019 study, playing the game of hyperstimulation to the hilt. 
  • Too much inauthenticity and fake imagery lead to sky-high expectations and eventual failure.

48

214 reads

Pornography And Social Media

  • Internet porn, according to Science writer Gary Wilson, is a dangerously rewarding and addictive hyper stimulator.
  • Just like pornography is a fancy presentation of unattainable sex goals, social media platforms are a fantasy version catering to our intrinsic desire to socialize with others.
  • Both pornography and social media show curated fantasies, presenting it as something that seems possible.
  • Both have high levels of excess, and novelty, kicking the reward system of the brain(that feel-good dopamine-producing feeling) into overdrive.

52

230 reads

Gambling And Social Media

Apart from being a lot like pornography in terms of addiction and depiction of fantasy states, social media is akin to gambling when we see the habit-forming and arousing states of mind it creates.

Gamification of many social media apps makes the unpredictable cycle of social interactions, or virtual rewards, many times more addictive and crafted to perfection.

49

180 reads

App Design To Hyper Stimulate The Mind

The way app interactions are designed, the user sees highly interactive mechanisms to like, share, upvote or comment, making feedback immediate and direct. The notifications are designed to arouse the user with more variable rewards and eventual compulsive behaviour.

Example: Facebook’s new ‘Swipe to Refresh’ feature works similar to a slot machine arm, making many describe the app as ‘behavioural crack cocaine’.

48

187 reads

Too Much Detachment From Reality

Too much engagement with hyper stimulants can cause addiction and depression, which social media companies fine-tune to perfection, leading to a perfect storm. 

This is because more engagement means more profit, and companies know very well what content is addictive and engaging due to their all-knowing algorithms and big-data analytics.

51

230 reads

CURATED BY

aiew_oo

Lazy student.

stash-superman-illustration

Explore the World’s

Best Ideas

200,000+ ideas on pretty much any topic. Created by the smartest people around & well-organized so you can explore at will.

An Idea for Everything

Explore the biggest library of insights. And we've infused it with powerful filtering tools so you can easily find what you need.

Knowledge Library

Powerful Saving & Organizational Tools

Save ideas for later reading, for personalized stashes, or for remembering it later.

# Personal Growth

Take Your Ideas

Anywhere

Organize your ideas & listen on the go. And with Pro, there are no limits.

Listen on the go

Just press play and we take care of the words.

Never worry about spotty connections

No Internet access? No problem. Within the mobile app, all your ideas are available, even when offline.

Get Organized with Stashes

Ideas for your next work project? Quotes that inspire you? Put them in the right place so you never lose them.

Join

2 Million Stashers

4.8

5,740 Reviews

App Store

4.7

72,690 Reviews

Google Play

samz905

Don’t look further if you love learning new things. A refreshing concept that provides quick ideas for busy thought leaders.

Ashley Anthony

This app is LOADED with RELEVANT, HELPFUL, AND EDUCATIONAL material. It is creatively intellectual, yet minimal enough to not overstimulate and create a learning block. I am exceptionally impressed with this app!

Sean Green

Great interesting short snippets of informative articles. Highly recommended to anyone who loves information and lacks patience.

Shankul Varada

Best app ever! You heard it right. This app has helped me get back on my quest to get things done while equipping myself with knowledge everyday.

Laetitia Berton

I have only been using it for a few days now, but I have found answers to questions I had never consciously formulated, or to problems I face everyday at work or at home. I wish I had found this earlier, highly recommended!

Ghazala Begum

Even five minutes a day will improve your thinking. I've come across new ideas and learnt to improve existing ways to become more motivated, confident and happier.

Jamyson Haug

Great for quick bits of information and interesting ideas around whatever topics you are interested in. Visually, it looks great as well.

Giovanna Scalzone

Brilliant. It feels fresh and encouraging. So many interesting pieces of information that are just enough to absorb and apply. So happy I found this.

Read & Learn

20x Faster

without
deepstash

with
deepstash

with

deepstash

Access to 200,000+ ideas

Access to the mobile app

Unlimited idea saving & library

Unlimited history

Unlimited listening to ideas

Downloading & offline access

Personalized recommendations

Supercharge your mind with one idea per day

Enter your email and spend 1 minute every day to learn something new.

Email

I agree to receive email updates