Technology as a Coping Mechanism
Maleah Vereen
In “The Ghosts in Our Machines”, Matthew J. X. Malady discusses his habit of going on Google Maps and looking at places in his old hometown. For him, “It’s a way to unwind, a respite from more taxing laptop-based endeavors.” Malady is aware that he spends hours inspecting a version of time that is not reality anymore. He is no longer the kid playing baseball on the field, walking to the comic book store, or losing his fishing rod in the lake. His trips down memory lane are a way for him to feel the nostalgia of an earlier time and escape from a much more depressing reality: one where his mother is no longer alive. Her death weighs down on him and is constantly reencountered in the real world and online.
Madaly’s escapism is unique because it diverts from the typical technological dissociation methods. The usual suspects, who are running from some variation of a personal issue, scroll away on social media loaded with mind-numbing dopamine and instant gratification. Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, X (Twitter), and Facebook are the primary platforms. These apps seem to contain a space separate from reality, where dancing dogs, adorable grandmas, and forced perspective sidewalk art are the most urgent matters.
Some are unaware of their mindless technology consumption, while others, like Malady, consciously understand the triggers of their behaviors. As a qualified doom scroller, I begrudgingly fit into the latter category. In our modern day and age, technology itself is a coping mechanism. This is different from online platforms that connect therapists with their patients to do talk therapy in a Zoom meeting. People use social media and digital games to distract themselves from genuinely experiencing and processing their emotions. Why would you dissect your laundry list of unprocessed trauma when you can play Candy Crush instead? However, the phenomenon is happening on a wider scale. People are not only repressing deep and confusing emotions; common feelings of stress are also being swept under the rug with technology usage.
As cliche as it sounds, social media is my escape from the outside world. Usually, a specific cycle ensues my doom scrolling on Instagram reels or Pinterest. First, I will pick up my phone to check a message or allow myself to take a small break from working. Next, I will instinctively click on the home button. There is always something that catches my eye, whether it be a post from a friend or a funny meme that coerces me into wanting to see more. For the first few minutes of scrolling whichever app I unconsciously decided will numb my brain the most, I am blissfully unaware of the pattern I contribute to. Then, for whatever reason, I see a post that reminds me of a real-world situation, or Instagram sends me a reminder about my self-imposed time limit. At that moment, the bubble of naivety pops, and I am resentfully aware that I am now past the phase of “let me just check my notifications” and well into the doom-scrolling void. I encounter two options: set down my phone and complete the task at hand, or sink deeper into the depths of ignoring reality. I am not sure exactly how I decide if I should keep scrolling, but once I do it is difficult to reverse. I will either play upbeat music and leap from the couch or bunker down with a blanket and get comfortable.
My escapism originates from stress, boredom, academic pressure, and all those fun emotions. Scrolling on social media allows me to focus on a topic far removed from my current situation and engross myself in the lives of others. As a result of late-night scrolling, I gain temporary peace along with long-lasting exhaustion and headaches. Many people, including myself, participate in what researchers call “revenge bedtime procrastination.” For me, it comes in the form of scrolling through Instagram Reels for hours. Occasionally, I will tell myself, “One more reel then I will go to bed.” However, that is often not the case.
The phrase, “Just one more…” accompanies many forms of procrastination through technology. Video gamers often say, “Just one more game,” and continue to play for hours on end. Why does this happen? The simple answer is that it’s fun to play games. But, the longer, more analytical and bleak response is because video games are their escape from reality. Identical to social media being my outlet, gamers rely on their fictitious storylines or activities to occupy their minds. It’s strenuous to focus on two tasks simultaneously, or more realistically, have your brain quickly jump back and forth between them. Video games take advantage of this fact and immerse players into their in-game objectives. Similar to Johann Hari’s point in his book, Stolen Focus, companies want to take your attention for profit. The more hours you spend on their technology, the more engagement and money they earn. Tech companies recognize that when our brains want a break from real life they turn to an easy source of entertainment.