We glance at our phones a hundred times a day, doomscroll endlessly, overshare, and online shop till we (mentally) drop. Experts label it digital addiction. But what if we're not battling chemical hooks in our brains? What if the overtures to connection, as shallow as they may be, are a reflection of what we need?
What if it's a connective erosion in our lives that we're trying so desperately to remedy?
This is not addiction - it's isolation begging for relief.
We compulsively check devices hoping someone reaches out. We crave the fleeting comfort of likes, representing people out there who still care. Our households overflow with impulse buys to inject surprise where daily life lacks. We numbly "snack" on the processed joy that replaces the absence of the real thing.
Resorting to dopaminergic devices and indulgences will never actually nourish us. But banning them only intensifies the underlying cravings.
We live in a McDonalds sweet and sour sauce world, but we still desire a full banquet.
The treatment doesn't lie in less pleasure. It's in more humanity. More conversations that quench connections. More talking to people, not just scrolling past them. More bonds bridging gaps than bytes.
When lives overflow with meaning, joy comes more naturally. Hearts filled with purpose have less room for emptiness. And the reality of human happiness easily outshines even the brightest screen.
