Social Media And Slot Machines

In this article, I discuss how social media platforms use the idea of slot machines and the behaviours behind it

I once watched a TEDx that changed the way I perceive social media platforms. We are the commodity for social platforms and most of us don’t have a clue. It is like the rat race, where we all tend to follow the crowd and it has been the same for social media. In my 20’s I used Instagram extensively. I travelled around 15 countries and I snapped many moments and I used to post consistently, but what did this give me. Self-gratification? We are still to find out..

Now that I can travel again, I only want to write and read more. Writing allows us to use our minds in different ways. To me, it is an unhealthy addiction. It has also supported my report writing for my Chartership progression. I should have started writing earlier but this is wishful thinking. Humans can be quite hard on themselves, me included, but I am so glad that I succeeded in removing Instagram from my daily life. I also used to smoke and I read a book by Alan Carr ‘How to Stop Smoking’. I would recommend a read if you’re trying to stop. The main aspect I took from the book was ‘lighting the fuse’ each time you pick up a cigarette. If you can discontinue to light the fuse for a certain amount of time, the craving will stop. This is the same for the use the social media.

The slot machine comparison was taken from the TEDx. It mentioned that Facebook has previously sent their engineers to Las Vegas to view people’s addictions to slot machines and gather an enhanced understanding of how the gambling addiction grows over a set amount of time. Facebook’s aim from this exercise was to relate the slot machine addiction to their organisation. To engineer the platform so that people get hooked faster. This is the same for the slot machines in a casino. Social Media is not real life, however, so many of us use it daily. I believe the main reason people use it to such great lengths, is for the reason they can create an alternative life for themselves, which is far removed from their real one. People must be made aware of the mental health implications of social media usage so that people do not become addicted, as a gambler does with slot machines. I will leave you with the TEDx that changed my perception of social media.

Thanks for reading and have a great week!