Digital Addiction: Five Things We Need to Understand About Screens, AI and Attention
AI can increasingly detect when and where we are vulnerable. Children are losing space for boredom. Parents are outsourcing judgement to apps.
If you missed my show released over the summer, I want to reroute your attention, apologies for the pun, to these four guests who explored what digital technology is doing to our attention, childhoods, judgement and human relationships.
“Algorithms with AI are increasingly good at targeting you at your weakest moment.” Dr Andreas König
My guests:
Anouk Hinger, Director of Luxembourg's National Addiction Prevention Service CNAPA
Tania Hemmer, Eltereschoul Janusz Korczak
Dr Andreas König, behavioural addiction specialist
Dr Nora Schleich, philosopher
1. Addiction begins when we start losing control
Someone can spend many hours gaming without necessarily having a behavioural addiction. Dr. Andreas König explained that we have to look at the pattern and where that gamer might be losing control. The behaviour might begin to take priority over school, work, sleep, relationships or health.
Can they decide when to stop?
Modern digital products have become extremely good at dissolving our sense of time.
Which leads to the second point.
2. AI is learning when we are weakest
AI allows digital systems to personalise the content we see and when we see it.
Andreas gave the example of a gambler on a losing streak. Behavioural data may indicate the point at which that person is likely to stop. At precisely that moment, an offer or bonus can be presented.
“Algorithms with AI are increasingly good at targeting you at your weakest moment.”
We've moved well beyond advertising to broad demographic groups.
The system can increasingly learn you.
Your patterns, pauses, frustration, desires. Your moments of resistance, and when that resistance is most likely to collapse.
3. Data has become power
Dr Nora Schleich:
“Who has data has AI. Who has more data has more efficient AI.”
Data capitalism turns human behaviour into a resource.
Our digital surroundings have become increasingly personalised. So what about human agency?
Our environment has always influenced us. Now part of that environment is being constructed algorithmically around each individual.
How aware are we of the forces shaping what we see?
And how confident can we be that the next thing we choose was entirely our own idea?
4. Give children boredom back
Anouk Hinger:
“Frustrate your kids.”
Anouk isn't advocating for a miserable childhood. She is asking us to remember what frustration does. Through frustration, we learn to wait, think, invent and negotiate. We learn to regulate our emotions.
Tania Hemmer, who works with parental burnout, reminded us that exhausted parents do sometimes need ten minutes. Parenting has become extraordinarily demanding. And so the aim is awareness of screen use as a parenting respite, without judgement, simply a moment to pause and regroup.
5. Community is both the vulnerability and the escape route
Humans have an enormous need to belong. We need to be seen and recognised.
Social media has hoovered up that void for some people as a different form of community, which has its place too.
Social media understands our need for community extremely well and creates a digital version: followers, likes, tags, reactions and groups.
Yet the real-life version is the one which will sustain and nourish us in ways we may not yet fully realise.
We need that laughter beside us. The hand which briefly touches your arm with a point to be made. The energy of other people physically sharing the same space.
Nora:
“All these moments create a much bigger energy than scrolling and posting. We need to make room for that.”
Digital wellbeing and real-life community.
Our future resides in a balance between the two.
Our attention has become extremely valuable.
Perhaps we should become far more careful about who gets it.
My guests
Anouk HingerDirector, CNAPA, Luxembourg's National Addiction Prevention Servicewww.cnapa.lu
Tania HemmerProjects & Quality, Eltereschoul Janusz Korczak, Fondation Kannerschlasswww.kannerschlass.lu
Dr Andreas KönigExecutive Director, ZEV, Center for Excessive Behavior and Behavioral Addictionswww.zev.lu
Dr Nora SchleichDirectrice, EwB asblewb.lu
The Lisa Burke Show is available on RTL Today, RTL Play, YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more.
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