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PART I

EFFECTS OF TECH AND

SOCIAL MEDIA

ONE

ARE WE BEING PLAYED?

I would invite you to begin to think technology may not be your friend. Let me start by saying no, we cannot work our way out of the system of technology. It is here, it is part of our world, and it is here to stay. It is officially the dominating and ruling structure whether we acknowledge it or not. Just as we addressed the system and the management system in Volume 2: Why Play, we must now turn our critical eye to technology in the same way.  We must overstand that it is not just a tool, but an influence that shapes our very being.

We are unable to change it, and we will not be able to go back and live our lives without technology. It is virtually impossible in this day and age to survive and live in the modern world without it. Is it technically possible? Yes, of course. Would it be easy? Fuck, no. We would essentially have to become an absolute recluse and live off the land. And I do not see any of us doing that, do you? Instead, we are going to adjust our strategy to play within the game once we know and overstand the boundaries. 

So how did technology become embedded into everything we do? How did it happen that we now literally cannot live without technology? It is a carrot. It always was a carrot. All great strategies implemented by the management system have one thing in common: the introduction of something that appears to be for one’s benefit as a player in the game. Every part of the strategy that is in the objectives of the management system essentially offers its objectives in the forms of carrots to begin. The carrot is offered, and we begin to chase it.

carrot (noun)

A reward or advantage offered especially as an inducement.

The company offered a carrot in the form of additional vacation time to workers who met their deadlines.

Tech giants introduced technology as a tool that was meant to make our lives easier. Make our lives more enjoyable. Meant to help us save time. Meant to connect us more. Meant to bring us together. Meant to help expand our thoughts. But in plain sight technology has quickly infiltrated your life and taken control. 

Let us look at how it all began, At first technology was great; everything it did for us helped. How could we not fall in love with it? It wasn’t until time went on that the extent of what was about to happen became obvious. That literally – and I mean literally – every single part of our world would be online. This is not a prophecy – this is a fact. We are entering into the digital age. The great migration online began a very, very long time ago, and for many people it will not even be apparent for decades to come.

A huge part of the online migration is the development of Social Media. 

Consider the pull of Social Media, the almost animalistic need to log on. Why do we feel this way? Because of the dopamine hit. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter produced by our brains that plays a significant role in driving our behavior. It is released in various situations, such as when we eat delicious food, engage in sexual activities, exercise, and, most importantly, during successful social interactions. From an evolutionary perspective, dopamine acts as a reward system, reinforcing beneficial behaviors and motivating us to repeat them. The allure of dopamine hits is so strong, we are often willing to pay the price for them. In this case, the price we pay is our attention. Take a moment to reflect on your own behaviors with Social Media, how frequently are you using it? Are you using it with purpose, or mindlessly scrolling?

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