Life in 2017: Navigating the Era of Peak Dopamine Addiction
Yup. We’re very much addicted to tech — and addiction comes with its own set of stigmas. Dependence, disfunction, dysmorphia. Death. But what what if our dependence on technology actually had the opposite effect and our dopamine addiction was a force for good, not evil? What if it could make us saner, smarter, more secure? One that could help us live brighter, happier, longer lives? In this issue we examine ways to escape digital sleep-walking and instead practice some more deliberate digital mindfulness habits.
From the moment you check your screen, your choices have been manipulated. You think you’re in control. But really, no. Those news, email alerts, Whatsapp and Instagram notifications waiting for you: each is carefully designed to dictate your actions from thereon in. From the moment you check your screen, your choices have been manipulated. It’s no coincidence that The Zuck is behind three of the biggest offenders: Whatsapp, Facebook and Instacrack. His product designers are like meth cooks serving up the perfect series of “hits” — a carefully constructed sequence of rewards made to drive dependence on all his networks at once. It’s ironic that we make some drug dealers billionaires and others criminals. But by asking one simple question you can reshape your whole frame of reference: what’s off the Zucker-menu?
Our brains release their own drugs (dopamine) when we feel a sense of accomplishment. It’s a biological survival mechanism: a nudge to keep it up. By leveraging our dopamine addiction, UX designers are reshaping reward circuitry in our minds. Reshaping everything from our sense of time to our sense of achievement and connectedness. Critics warn of the damage. Gaming is killing people on Twitch, social media causes teen suicides and of course we will all die alone together. Yet, the majority of critics are older: those whose brains haven’t been shaped since birth by the positive impact of digital influence, likability and empathy. Instead they project their confusion onto younger generations who are co-evolving with iPads. But if we sacrifice mental evolution because older generations can’t keep up, are we are resisting the next phase of enlightenment that we’re destined for? Perhaps having a tech-trained brain is essential for future generations: a key part of their mental skill set that will enable them to hone multi-tasking superpowers, hyper-expanded social circles, multi-dimensional visual/sensory skills and multiple personas. And what if they will need these skills to have a hope in hell of outpacing AI? Are we right to stop them?
We’re all familiar with the bio-hacking phenomenon. Green juicing, nutrient-dense elixirs, paleo diets and standing desks are all “tools of the titans.” But in the digital universe, this is childsplay. Dig a few layers past the juicewash, and you’ll uncover the vast underground of extreme bio-hacking: a consortium of chemists, tech nerds, hypochondriacs and gene-decoding doctorates all galvanizing around LongeCity (also known as the Immortality Institute). While the LongeCity mission is “to conquer the blight of involuntary death,” the majority of conversation revolves around “Nootropics” (intelligence-increasing drugs) and other forms of intricate brain-boosting regimens, known as “stacks”. Think Maeve’s brain gaming in Westworld and x100. Users aren’t precious about the constant tweaking and sharing of their proprietary “stack” details. Indeed, the first step in conquering death might be the collective discovery of a means to outsmart it together. A.k.a data donation. And when you add in that Hillary Clinton was revealed to be into Provigil, a popular brain-booster, during Wikileaks’ release of her emails to aides, you start to realize that this perhaps isn’t just a gimmick, but instead the next wave of human supercharging.
The past few months have seen a flood of instagram self-confessionals, from Clickbait fave Scariestbugever to fashion legend susie bubble. While each voices their common reluctance to share gory details, they also acknowledge that their community is more than a list of randos, but an essential part of a healing process. Yes, they’ve seen a flush of fan support, but the real progress comes in the form of their openness: by acknowledging everything from substance abuse and depression to physical abuse and social discrimination; they have evolved the role of the channel to be a powerful force for de-stigmatization. By bringing their fans into the fold, they each bring into sharp focus the reality that it’s possible to be both struggling and successful — in real time. This shines a glimmer of light on the potential of digital wellness: the power of the tribe to bring collective healing. Perhaps the interdependent relationship between the Instafamous and their thousands of followers, isn’t just one of blind idealism, but of empathetic survivalism.
20 years before the VR trend hit its stride, a different form of “personal augmentation” was at the forefront. Welcome to Erowid: the world’s definitive guide to psychoactive substances. Recent years have brought increased demand for psychoactives in the US — especially for Ayahuasca (2016 saw the arrival of the first American Ayahuasca church in Washington state, and the Ayahuasca Retreat in Montana). We pondered if this is really just the next phase of natural drug progression, or a scientifically proven replacement approach to alternative reality. As Erowid states, their mission is to “…imagine a world where people treat psychoactives with respect and awareness; where people work together to collect and share knowledge in ways that strengthen their understanding of themselves and provide insight into the complex choices faced by individuals and societies alike.” From one perspective, it’s a hippy dippy natural healing site. From another, Erowid is like a template for a utopian post-apocalyptic city-state. Despite its web 1.0 look, Erowid’s founders are on a mission to not just turn stigma into wellness, but reframe how individuals interact with society and vice versa.
4Chan Enlightenmeme: 4Chan just had a huge fight over “whomst’s” brains are biggest, this incredible meme series below is their brainchild. More here.The latest 4chan fight was inspired by the currently raging (to be fair, we know you’ve been seeing it for months across your favorite niche accounts) “expand your brain” meme format below. We argue that there are 3 main categories most popular meme structures fall within: cumulative (i.e., starterpacks), comparative (i.e., a man who can do both), and progressive (i.e., brain meme). This newer, “evolved” progressive structure relies on an audience that’s been primed to decode existing structural syntaxes in meme literature. The double meaning here is that in a sense, meme culture is marking an evolutionary milestone within its own history. The internet is ready for increasingly complex formats that take the reader on a journey. Which begs the question — is a traditional narrative arc with a beginning, middle and end still necessary to convey a compelling story?
Thank you for reading
