The First Amendment and the Social Media Dilemma
We have heard much lately from folks like Jonathan Haidt and Jean Twenge regarding the harms of smartphones and social media. These include a rise in anxiety, suicidality, and depression among young people, especially girls. They also include addiction for most adults and an increased polarization of society generally. But many of the solutions offered for these problems are questionable under existing First Amendment doctrines. We need continued scholarly effort into finding solutions, and that requires fully understanding the problem. What follows is an excerpt from Chapter 2 of my book Habits of a Peacemaker, “Seek Real Learning,” and it provides just a brief introduction into part of what all of us are up against in the smartphone and social media era:
When we encounter something that brings us stimulation, our brains release dopamine. The effect of dopamine is usually pleasure, euphoria, the thrill of anticipation, and the desire to want to pursue the stimulant. When we eat a sugary treat, or have sex, or drink alcohol, or take drugs, or do anything else that stimulates us, our brains create dopamine. As Stanford addiction researcher Doctor Anna Lembke explains, “The more dopamine a [particular stimulant] releases in the brain’s reward pathway … , and the faster it releases dopamine, the more addictive the drug.” And once our brains release dopamine, they immediately begin to rebalance themselves by reducing the amount of dopamine they are creating. This is why we often feel additional cravings for something after enjoying it. As soon as the effect of the dopamine wears off, we find ourselves in a dopamine deficit, which causes us to want to seek out another hit of dopamine.
This is an important component to addiction. We experience something, our brains release dopamine, we feel euphoric (high), we crash, then we seek it again. This process becomes even worse if what we are addicted to is easily available. Research has proven this again and again. From drugs, to digital addictions, to alcohol, to pornography—the easier we can access a high dopamine-pr
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