These videos are the most toxic videos on the internet Here, parents break an egg on their child's head, scare him and record a video on this head, scare him and record it. They also post these videos on social media. Why?
Just for some views Apps like Instagram and TikTok are controlling your life. They are becoming toxic, they are manipulating you, they are making you their slave! And this is not just about one app.
Social media is playing mind games with us But in this video, we will not be just talking about problems, we will also discuss some solutions. At the end of the video, we will share with you four simple steps using which you can regain control of your life. Who does not want the control of their life?
But still, I can challenge you all that only 8% of you will watch this video till the end. The problem is not in the video, the problem is not in you, the problem lies in your attention. In today's video, we will learn five scientific reasons of how phone is becoming our enemy.
how phone is becoming our enemy. And to be very honest, I am not different from you. In fact, a few days back, I was watching reels while lying on the bed I was sharing memes with my friend.
And half an hour had passed with a blink of an eye No one likes to watch a 30-minute long video. But everyone watches 30 videos of one minute each. This device has changed our whole life.
We are talking about a smartphone. Smartphone is making us dumb. What do I mean?
Let me explain with an example. Just think, why did we touch the phone before? When someone sent us a message?
Or when someone used to call us? In both cases, one thing was common that a human wanted to contact us. Technology was being used to build human connections But now, it's the algorithm that manages our phones Try it yourself.
Pause the video and clear all your notifications. And after watching the video, observe how many app notifications you have received From Amazon to Instagram, from banks to food ordering apps everyone wants your attention. Whenever our phone rings, we feel that a human wants to contact us.
But it's often the algorithms operating our phones And that's why we live in a world full of distractions. And do you know who is the king of these distractions? TikTok.
India's best decision in last 5 years was the decision to ban TikTok Because TikTok is not a social media company. TikTok is a data collection company. Despite being a Chinese company, TikTok runs educational content in China The TikTok version there is different from us.
And what does TikTok promote in Western countries? How was Osama right? Promoting challenges of eating corn attached to drilling machine which can actually break your teeth.
And it was quite disturbing where a mother throws an egg on her child's face And not just common people, but even the doctors have criticized it People have been warned that it can be harmful for children's psychology. Now you will think that TikTok has been banned in India. So such trends will not followed in India.
Right? The truth is that after TikTok was banned, all social media apps are trying to become TikTok. Everyone wants to copy TikTok's instant success.
And this includes Instagram and YouTube. Today, the fear is that in the future, every app can become as toxic as TikTok. So if companies like Meta and Google are watching this video, then I request you please, don't become TikTok.
Just think, today algorithms are controlling us Algorithm has become the god of the 21st century. It decides what we should watch at night and what we should not. The way we use our mobile has changed.
7 years ago, mobile phones used to be of compact size. Today, it has changed into a big sized model The screens are becoming more and more vertical and so is the content. This is not a coincidence.
In fact, this is a trick. With which you become an addict. To understand the reason, we have to travel to Vegas.
This is Vegas, the world's gambling capital. There are slot machines in Vegas casinos where there are colorful lights You just have to put money and pull the lever. The chances of winning in a slot machine are one of the worst.
Someone actually wins after a minimum of 5000 and a maximum of 34 million turns. But people still enjoy playing this game Why? Because they enjoy the anticipation of winning more than actually winning the game.
The actual result is just a bonus. The action of pulling the lever gives them an illusion of control. They feel that the outcome is in their hands.
Our phones and social media apps use this very technique When you pull from the top in any app, the app refreshes. As if this is a miniature slot machine where you try your luck every second. That you may get a jackpot.
You may get to see something fun. This anticipation gives you dopamine. And social media makes you become addicted to this dopamine.
This highlights a very interesting fact about human psychology That we are more crazy about anticipation than the actual outcome. The thrill of winning attracts us. There is no fun in searching and watching the videos than watching videos recommended to us by algorithms Let me tell you an interesting fact.
On an average, a person touches his phone for about 4000 times a day. And stays on one screen for only 45 seconds Now, let's talk about dopamine. You must have heard about dopamine.
Dopamine is candy for your brain. Imagine that if we press a button and we get Rs. 5, we are happy.
Our brain releases dopamine. When this process is repeated again and again dopamine is released. That is, this establishes a cycle.
the cycle of action, expectation, reward and dopamine But something interesting happens when you press the button for 100th time We don't get Rs. 5, we suddenly get Rs. 500.
And that too, at once We get happy. We feel that every time, we should get Rs. 500 Our expectation increases.
But what happens when you press the button 101st time? We get Rs. 5 again.
In such a situation, we are not happy we are not happy that we got just Rs. 5 We get upset that we did not get Rs. 500.
We feel that we deserve Rs. 500 And we can never be happy with the Rs. 5 we get.
That is, another step has been added to this cycle of action, expectation, reward, and dopamine. Which is the biggest point of this video. And that is judgment.
This judgment creates a new baseline of happiness for us. Getting Rs. 5 is quite normal.
It's like rice and lentils. There is nothing to celebrate in this. It's a big deal if we get Rs.
500 We forget that every time, it is not in our hands to make viral content on social media. If there is something which is in our hands it is just an illusion of control. Like that machine in Vegas, a lever a button, and once we press this button we will get some kind of reward What will be reward, we don't know And social media companies want to hide this from us.
Don't get me wrong, social media companies are not just evil There are many things that wouldn't have been possible without social media Think about it. It wouldn't have been possible for common people like us to send our complaints to the authority with a single tweet. But the power of social media is that we can get the attention of any big leader with a single tweet This is a power.
And as they say, with great power comes great responsibilty So what is our responsibility? Understanding our true desires is our responsibility. A few days ago, I read a term, Mimetic Desire.
It is a desire that is not your own. It has not come from within. You saw someone doing something and saw that he is happy doing that thing.
And then you started thinking that you will be happy if you just copy it. Social media has not invented this mimetic desire. It is our nature.
Humans are social animals. We have been living in tribes for centuries. We share many values with them.
Today, we call all those tribes as family. We learn the same values that our family, our friends, and people around us, teach us. These are our modern tribes.
Where we are constantly exchanging values. And that too so much that we fail to understand our original desires. And the desires which have been forced upon us by the society.
During my childhood, whenever I used to see someone riding a bullet, I used to think that he was cool So I thought there is only one way to be cool that is to ride a bullet Today, I don't know if this is my original desire or mimetic desire. Today, this is a part of my identity. And you too must have similar thoughts The real estate of our mind is limited.
It does not increase. But the things which are stored here, they keep increasing. As a result, these thoughts can live here for a very short time.
To live in a small place, you have to fight. Today, our mind has become just like this. Time is limited.
Space is limited. But our thoughts and desires are unlimited In our mind, there are already four things occupying the space of three, and the fifth thing comes that forces us to adjust a little. Today, the problem is that we are running behind our thoughts, our desires But no one knows where the car is actually heading Someone says wear these jeans.
You will look hot Someone says put on some deo, you will be able to impress girls Someone says apply oil, you will sleep well Someone says have this drink, and you will lose your sleep In this world of filters, there is no filter to find the truth. But everyone talks about problems. Let's go one step ahead and think about solutions Let's invent a healthy digital diet.
This will be your personalized formula. With which you can use technology. Technology cannot control you.
There are only four steps, which I call as NURF. NURF stands for Notice, Use, Reconnect and Focus. The first step is Notice.
Notice those things for which you are dependent on technology. You check work emails on the phone and even Instagram Reels You also check the alarm on the phone in the morning and chat with your girlfriend at night When one device is used for multiple tasks, then while doing one work, it becomes very easy to switch and do some other work after receiving the notification So what can we do? Use what is necessary.
For example, I like to readphysical books The fun of holding such books in hand is not in using Kindle or e-books. So I carry books on the airplane It helps because, I don't feel like watching a series on Netflix all of a sudden. So I carry physical books on planes If there are 100 flights for work every year, then my minimum digital detox will be of 200 hours The third step is Reconnect.
Reconnect means using devices for important tasks. Technology or social media is not our enemy. Our enemy is our distracted mind.
Today, we can connect easily with a friend who is in another country via video call. This is a big thing, and technology deserves credit for this. There are many such tasks that are impossible without the help of technology.
But as long as we keep using technology for useless tasks, we will never remember such important tasks. And the last step is Focus. Focus should be on quality, not quantity.
After completing any activity on the phone, ask yourself a question. How do you feel after doing this activity? Does it energise you or you feel quite exhausted?
After scrolling a lot on social media, I feel suffocated. I feel jealous. I feel that my life is quite stagnant.
And this story is not just about me. These feelings are universal It's simple. Focus on erasing those activities that make you feel negative I use a simple trick.
I switch on the black and white mode This eliminates the attraction of colourful interface and then, I can focus on my work. Keep your focus above your distractions. Your life will change.
Social media teaches you FOMO. Fear of missing out. It means those who are not on social media are afraid of missing out on what is going around them So today let me give you JOMO.
Joy of missing out. There is a line in the film Yeh jawaani Hai Dewaani. How much ever you try, you will miss out on something So enjoy where you are.
Learn to live in the present. Because remember, the biggest problem with the phone is the person holding the phone.
