Addiction to new technologies

Some ex-directors of the main social networks have raised their voices because, they say, "they are programming the behaviour of people, driven by dopamine", which causes the feeling of happiness in our brain.

How many hours do you spend a day on the Internet? And on social networks? How much time can you spend without checking your mobile? How many phone calls do you make per week? And WhatsApp messages? Surely, the answer is more daily hours than you imagine and you have not made any calls in the last week. But, this behaviour may not be entirely voluntary and conscious. We'll explain why.

As reported by the former Facebook CEO, Chamath Palihapitiya, who worked from 2007 to 2011 in the company, including as vice president of user growth, "the big technology companies, such as Facebook or YouTube, modify their algorithms so that users increase their time using their product. This can cause addictions and dangers which come from the massive and excessive use of social platforms."

Palihapitiya's criticism, made at the Stanford Graduate School of Business in November 2018, doesn't point only to Facebook, but to the entire 'Silicon Valley ecosystem' which affects other digital services. According to the complaint, "these short-term feedback cycles, driven by the dopamine we have created, are destroying the functioning of society. Without civil discourse, with misinformation. It’s a global issue. It is eroding the fundamental foundations of how people behave towards each other and each other, "simplifying their interaction to 'heart, like or thumbs up' 'emojis'. Palihapitiya recommends taking a digital "break", warning that "people's behaviours are being programmed without them realising it".

Conscientious objectors from networks

Palihapitiya's warnings are not the only ones and they are added to those of other top executives of the social network, such as those of Sean Parker, one of its first managers, who acknowledges having become a 'conscientious objector' from social networks. Parker states that "Facebook and other social networks exploit a vulnerability in human psychology by creating a feedback loop of social validation."

Also, the ex-product manager of the company, Antonio García-Martínez, says that "Facebook lies about its ability to influence people based on the data it collects on them."