vice

Device addictions and content addictions

Techalcoholism manifests in two forms:

  1. Hardware or Device Addictions: This occurs when an individual becomes addicted to a specific piece of hardware, such as a phone, TV, tablet, or car.
  2. Software or Content Addictions: This involves addiction to specific types of content, including pornography, gaming, social media, movies, or news.

Often, individuals develop a combination of both types. For instance, a person may initially use a phone normally but later become addicted to pornography, leading to a content addiction that eventually results in a device addiction, making it difficult for them to live without the phone.

Generally, overcoming device addictions is easier than content addictions. While a device can be physically discarded, content addiction operates on a psychological level, making it more challenging to address. Since most techalcoholics experience a combination of both, effective therapy must incorporate both hard and soft elements. Hard elements involve reducing or eliminating device usage, while soft elements focus on reducing or eliminating the consumption of addictive content and replacing it with more positive activities.

Effects of techalcoholism

When you encounter someone struggling with alcoholism, you often have a sense of what to expect. Here are some common symptoms associated with a drinking problem:

  • Loss of control: The individual is unable to regulate their drinking habits.
  • Compulsive urges: They experience persistent and overwhelming desires to drink, often to escape reality.
  • Mental health issues: These can include temper tantrums, mood swings, impatience, difficulty concentrating, irrational thoughts, and feelings of hopelessness.
  • Physical health problems: General weakness, reduced strength and flexibility, and various medical issues.
  • Decline in work performance: Their ability to perform at work deteriorates, potentially leading to job loss.
  • Social isolation: They gradually lose friends and family, becoming socially ostracized.

These symptoms are commonly associated with traditional addictions, which are widely recognized by society. However, many people fail to realize that newer forms of addiction, such as “techalcoholism,” exhibit similar symptoms. Consider someone you know who is addicted to their phone, social media, horror movies, pornography, or video games. Depending on the severity of their addiction, they may display many of the same negative psychological and social effects as those with more traditional addictions.

Society has established various institutions and support systems to help individuals with traditional addictions. Yet, there is a noticeable lack of similar resources for those suffering from techalcoholism. I would argue that techalcoholism is one of the most prevalent types of addiction today, and it deserves the same level of attention and support.

Intro to techalcoholism

With the exception of a few isolated tribes and marginal populations, all of us living today are more or less dependent on technology. Our essence as modern people, our belonging to the modern world, is defined through the large-scale use of technology, which gives us means to achieve things that were not possible before or were possible to a much lesser degree. It is however precisely this essential character that technology has for the modern person, this feeling of being indispensable, that makes some of us ignore the risks and dangers that a reckless usage of technology entails. This is how technology addictions come to be with all their negative effects, this is how some of us become techalcoholics.