Are social networks more addictive than cocaine? | Technology



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The misuse of social networks and its effects on the mental health of its users, especially those of the youngest, have become in recent years a growing concern for the experts and in the Purpose of many studies.

The prestigious documentary series "Panorama & # 39; of the BBC channel devotes precisely his last episode to this question: how far can depend on platforms such as Facebook, Twitter or Instagram? And the conclusions drawn on the basis of the testimony of several personalities of the sector are alarming. Aza Raskin, a well-known interface designer and former creative head of Firefox, directly compares the dependence of these platforms with those of drugs like cocaine.

"That's what makes you always come back again and again, over and over again … Behind every interface or new screen you access from your mobile, there's literally a thousand of them." Engineers working for, "says Aza, who also played a key role in getting people to spend hours reviewing their social profiles by developing a tool such as " Infinite Scrolling. " Basically, Its design allows you to browse our social networks without having to press the button to go to the next page of the results or publications.

"If you never give your brain the opportunity to get ahead of it. impulse [de seguir bajando por la pantalla] then you continue to slide your finger or your mouse, "he explains about the key to the success of his invention. Another interviewee, Sandy Parakilas-former director of Facebook operations, admits that after leaving the company, it was very difficult to abandon the use of the social network.

"Social networks look a lot like a slot machine. My case, I had the feeling of giving up a vice like tobacco. I have not missed that it was an addictive product, which encouraged a consumption habit, it's a business meant to attract you and consume as much of your life as possible in the meantime, sell the attention you give advertisers ", summarizes Parakilas

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