IT'S TIME FOR A DETOX!

Welcome back to the pod AND welcome back to Daylight Savings! I’m Mike Dreyden Figueroa and this Unscripted and Unrehearsed, where I share my take on events of the day, things that I’ve seen, heard and experienced.

I fell into the trap of constantly checking stats, see how my posts are doing. It started with scheduled posts going live at the wrong time on the wrong day. So now I triple check everything. Which leads to scrolling Social Media! The studies and reports on social media addiction and its effect on our mental health are in, it ain’t good. The good news is I found a way to reclaim my time, my focus and my mental health. This is what I’m doing, but first…

Reviewing the week: HS Secretary Fired! Texas Election Shenanigans! Hilary Clinton ain’t playin! SEND BARRON TRENDING! 2026 Actor Awards. BAFTA CAN KICK ROCKS! Bridgerton moves the bar!

TOPIC 1: SOCIAL MEDIA ADDICTION PROVED! A 2012 study of college students. Leading addiction experts have said the dopamine cycle initiated by social media use mirrors that seen in drug users. A 2016 study of people suffering from gaming addiction found their neurological responses to gaming cues mirrored those seen in drug addicts experiencing physical cravings. About META internal research. This CNN article from February goes in to some detail. The files raise new questions about what META has known about the risks of its platforms, especially on young people. Diary of a CEO interview with Social psychologist Jonathan Haidt and Harvard physician Dr Aditi Nerurkar. They reveal how tech addiction and short-form video are ROTTING your brain, and why AI chatbots could cause the next global addiction CRISIS!

TOPIC 2: APPS ARE DRAINING ME OF… 

TOPIC 3: TIPS FROM THE EXPERTS…

NOW YOU TELL ME: Are you addicted to your device? Do you think you might be? Do you even care? No judgements.

UNTIL NEXT TIME: If you made it this far… Thank you! Drop a No Phones 📵 emoji in the comments. Remember like, share and subscribe. If you’re watching, hit that bell icon. If you’re listening, rates are great, downloads is better. Head over to my Patreon for more of this episode.

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Mike Dreyden Figueroa on Social Media

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:02

It's time for a detox. What's up, everybody? Welcome back to the pod. I'm Mike Draden Figueroa, and this is Unscripted and Unrehearsed, where I give you my take on events of the day, things I've seen, heard, and experienced. Yes, sir. Good morning to you. What do you want?

unknown 0:35

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 0:38

Uh this week there there's been a lot going on. I I found myself in in the trap. I got sucked in. Found myself obsessing over likes, follows, comments, you know, not not so much like who was or how many, but like if there's been traction or uh there's any uh activity, traction, I guess, you know. So um I feel like I've been obsessed, but you know, gauging it all, I don't think I was really. I I'm just doing the normal work part of following how this this pod is going, um, other things I'm working on. But I found that it's been occupying a lot of my attention where I can't focus on a lot of stuff. Um that and uh with an aside uh social media itself, you know, scrolling through Instagram and uh uh Facebook. Which as a side note, I I've tried to leave Facebook so much, but I just can't because there's always that one thing that keeps me tied in. I don't know. Um yeah. So I feel like are my posts being seen? Um, are people engaging? Am I engaging? Uh is what I'm doing interesting, you know, I'm triple checking. Also, I the the what set me off really was my pre-scheduled posts that I do. Um, some of them were going live sooner than later, and I was like, did I make a mistake? And I'm there's a glitch in the matrix. So um I reset them all, and that's once you do that, I'm double-checking what I wrote in one side to another platform, and then I end up stuck in a scroll. Then I check the news, and not so much for uh mostly for the Schadenfreuder, um, but uh then I get stuck there, and I it's it's exhausting. Um but there's good news. I found ways, some of which I've already been doing from before, but I found ways on how to regain your your mental focus and uh uh relinquish all the need to double check and get get sucked in. Um how did I phrase it? Um I forgot how I said it to myself. Um but yeah, I want to talk about this. But first, um the studies are in, and we're gonna go into it more later, but the studies are in that social media addiction is a real thing, and its effect on our mental health and well-being has been proven. Um our focus, uh, what we uh how we see ourselves, our our comparing to other people. Um just note that a lot of folks are not what they seem online, and not so much the personalities, but you know, there's lights and cameras and makeup and filters and stuff like that. The the personality, it's all you know, entertainment. Um but yeah, the studies are in on how the platforms, the research alone, and I have links for all of this down below for the articles and the interviews, how they know that uh social media is addictive. And I'm gonna get more into that, but I I really want to cover a couple a couple of major news things that made my my week. So on Thursday, Thursday, it the news broke that um uh what's her face got fired. Um I'm like, it's about fucking time. I did if you saw any of the clips from the um the grilling she got at on Capitol Hill, I was like, even the Republican senators there are aware of how it looks. I mean, the optics alone honestly, for some of them growing a backbone now, I'm like, it's a lot too late, but you know, let's hope because maybe we can get something fixed here. Uh but I'm thinking if it was if it was anyone else, this they would have been pushed out a long time ago. Uh they grilled her for hours, and one of the things that came out that I found really interesting, and and it's all around, all across the board. They have money for her to do these this what was it 200 200 million dollars for an ad campaign? Like they were shooting all over the country, airing it all, buying ad space and all of that. I'm like, uh 200 million. Uh how much is healthcare? How much is the the extension for the ACA? I think it was just not even a drop of that to keep it going. Uh, how much is to cover SNAP benefits for people? Medicaid for our seniors? What the actual fuck? So I'm like, alright, they've got money for that and money for these for the war now and for all this other stuff. Because you know, people gotta get paid while they're out there doing their duty. Where's that money coming from? Anyway, um, I can't it's not the tangent I wanted to go on, but it's it's the the point I'm trying to make is if you there's money for this, but there's no no money to take care of your people, and that and that's the frustrating part. But I'm glad she's fired. But they failed to place uh her spot with another uh sycophant, um, which I think would be more dangerous because I find that this is gonna sound sexist, but I find that men are far more dangerous in position of power than women because I think women have a moral center that men don't, I think. And I think it's be I don't want to generalize, but it's just my observation over the years and thinking about it. Like, what will men do that is like to the tense power that women will take a breath or take a beat, you know? Am I wrong? I don't know. Some women could be like that too. Um, I'm sure they are. Um the Texas election shenanigans, y'all. It's just as a prelude to what they're gonna try to do during the the midterm elections. And so basically, the lieutenant governor, and it works different in Texas than it does here in New York, but the lieutenant governor is an elected position, um, not like a running mate that gets put in like a vice president. That's how we have it here in New York. Um, he has manipulated the voting system where I don't want to get this wrong and look like a fool, but it's he's manipulated the system where even he it's turned into a a runoff with the guy he's running against for the Senate seat uh for Texas on the Republican side. Um the guy who's there now, he's no angel, but he's no he's not a a danger to the constitution. He's a constitutionalist. And that's regardless of if regardless if you're right-leaning or left-leaning or whatever, if you're a constitutionalist and you're for the people because it's about the constitution without the you know what I'm saying. The constitution is what's protecting all of us for now. Um but it's the foundation by which this country was built, right? Okay, so this guy I don't want to say their names because I don't want to put them in my universe here. Um, but he's manipulated where it's turned into a runoff, and the voting is not turning, is not adding up. The other thing they did too was um uh people were being turned away from voting if they weren't in line by 7 p.m. Because they they gerrymandered the whole state, right? So you had to be the new laws, new new policies, what have you. First, if you were if you were not what they get to do in Texas is really cool. Well, they used to, was wherever you were, if there was a polling place, you could go and vote. You'd have to be in your district, like here in New York, in in upper Manhattan. I have a district that I'm in that I'm represented by in Congress, um, and for the Senate, right? Um, and it's also the district that we vote for president. So it's like mine, I think it's 71 for Manhattan, right? District 71 or New York City as a whole. Uh we we have these little districts, which is fine. You know, it's like they that's how they tally stuff. But in in Texas, you get to go wherever there's a polling place. You can that's where you go. You show your ID or whatever, and you sign in and they have the records there, and boom, you dropped your vote. Um, they changed it for people, and people didn't know, and they're not paying attention to this because they're trying to survive and live their lives. Um there they were told they had to go to their district polling places, and they didn't have their information wherever they were. And some of these people have been voting in the same place every time because it it's either close to work or close to school or what have you, right? Or it's where they live. Um, but it's not in the district. Makes no sense to me. But they did that to them, and so they were like running all over town. Some people didn't get to vote because they nobody could find their prove their who these the person was coming in to vote. It's a shit show, and I feel really bad because I think the most the most sacred thing that makes us the greatest country in the world and is our fundamental right to vote. And I think that's what the founding fathers fought for the most because of the king trying to get away from all of that all of his bullshit, right? Everybody gets a say. Well, men who own property, not people, but you that you know what I'm saying. Um, everybody had a say, that was the point. We all get a say, we decide who's gonna represent us, and if we don't like, we have recourse, we vote them out, we protest, we we town hall, all of that. Um so yeah. So this guy, he he they the a court a judge extended it to nine o'clock because it was, like I said, a crazy shit show, and people were like, Where do I go? I just want to drop my vote. Um so here comes the lieutenant governor, and he went to the state supreme court and got an injunction, and they stayed it, meaning they stopped what the lower judge said, and the cutoff was at seven. So at this point, no one knows in Texas whether their vote is gonna be counted. One. Two, how do you tell if someone was online or not at seven? Because if you know, me, I want my vote counted. I'm like, I was in line. You people came out. Like, how do how do you how do you tally that do you give like you know, how do you how do you do that? I'm just wondering how they're gonna pull this shit off. Um, and so it's what's caused part of the runoff because people couldn't get out to vote and they couldn't get to the right place to vote. Texas is really, oh my god. I I don't I don't my brain is folding in on itself because I'm like, are you that afraid? Because I think what the mentality is, is that all the bullshit that right-leaning people do to other people, they think they're gonna do it to them if they ever get the chance to be in leadership. And what has been the truth? The complete opposite. Because what everyone, from what my perspective has done is to better us, the ACA, um, all everything. The the infrastructure of the country, jobs, you know, our financial systems, getting involved with future, you know, fortifying ourselves for future change and growth and technology, all of that. Our relationships with our with our um uh counterparts in other countries, you know, that's where people's normal people's focus is. It's like how do we grow and be better and defend ourselves and watch out for, you know, shysters and trying to fuck us over or you know. But I think their fear is oh, if they get in power, they're gonna do it to us, so we better let's not let them get any power. Nobody cares about what you're doing in your fucking garden, Karen. You know, mind your business. Just and that's what kills me too. The folks that are able to get services who are dirt poor, living in rural middle, flyover state, they they've been sold the bill of goods that oh, that it's because of that person over there why you can't get a job and nothing's here, because they're putting it over. It's all of that bullshit. And then when things start growing, and then they're starting, oh, they the Republicans will take credit for it. I ranted again, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to do that. Um but that's that's what I think going on in their heads, and they're that willing to see it people of color just be somehow. We they in their mind they've they think we're we're still property or something to be manipulated. And anyway. The worst part for me, I thought, because I really would have loved to see her in the Senate, was uh Jasmine Crockett lost her run against um I don't know how to pronounce his name. Uh but he'll be fine. I think he'll be good for Texas um and for the Senate. Um, but he's just another. I don't want to sound terrible, but he's a white man. What we needed was, you know, a woman and a woman of color. You know, more women need to be running shit, I think, for a while. Um speaking of women running shit, um, Hillary Clinton, Hillary Clinton, she ain't playing. She ain't letting them play in her face, she ain't letting them play in behind her, she ain't fucking playing. So when they I don't know if you saw this part, but um uh I'm calling her the Beetlejuice masturbator. Uh so they subpoena the Clintons, who have nothing to do with the shit, especially her because Benghazi, and you know, she beat them at their own game, and now they're still seething just to get her. So, what happens? They subpoena her and they're like, Well, okay, fine. You want to do this? We're doing it in public. And they're like, No, we're done now, we can do it in private, you know, it's more bad. No, public. And they went back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. She's like, okay, we'll do it in public in private, but we're gonna with these stipulations, I think, from their camp. Um, or there was an agreed-upon mutual rules of decorum, meaning no leaking photos, no blah blah blah. Uh, and what does the Beetlejuice masturbator do? She goes ahead and takes a fucking photo and then leaks it. Now, there's a clip of that coming to light, but in the right before the lead up to that, they're playing word games with her, and she's like, No, I had nothing to do with that. That that's okay. So then then her attorney or one of her people bring the up the fact that the this photo was leaked. And here you hear Ms. Beetlejuice masturbator on the side saying, I'll take it down right now. Like she was so busted. She's like, I'm done here. I'm done here, and in front, I'm done here. This is what we're gonna do. We're following she went off. And and there's other clips that have been released, which I think in their I think their head, they're thinking this is making her look bad or how she's reacting to them, but she's like, she's not letting them play word games and spin things and ask the same question 15 different times. She's done playing games. And when they did the conference where he uh what's his face says, that he's just surprised at how many times she said, You're gonna have to ask my husband, like, what the what does that have to do with anything? If it it's like they're married, yes. They don't tell each other everything. No, their businesses are not the same. They're just because they're they're married in their family, that doesn't mean that we're in the 1940s and 50s where women run everything past their husbands first, or there's a discussion about things, first of all, and that was a fallacy to begin with. And I'm like, she's a grown-ass woman. She's this has nothing to do with her. And for them to say the number of times she said you're gonna have to ask my husband, just he doesn't understand it. It's like, does your wife ask you all the time stuff or get your permission for things? Is that what you want? That's what you think life is supposed to be. I think that's the truth. They think you know women should be subservient to their to their husbands. And everything is a discussion and a debate. It's like, I'm sorry, honey, I'll take the checkbook back. I think it's you notice this. I'm a huge Bewitched fan, and the whole um family unit thing was really played out in that show, very much so. Um even in the Dick Van Dyke show, where I think there's an episode where he spanks his wife, or there's a sort of a spank. It's like that's how they um yeah. So I think I I for six and a half hours I said she she went through this, and then she came out and she she did her conference, then the next day they interviewed his husband. Her husband, sorry. Um, and the same thing is like this is a fucking joke. It really is. You know, you get m people are trying to distance themselves from Epstein. Understood. Um, if they had because look, I'm not defending the guy, but if you had legitimate business interactions with him and you have no idea about what else is going on, it's like you know, you show up to a party you're invited to, you're like, oh, this is great. I'm moving up in the world. I'm you know, I'm meeting the right people, the right circles, my career is advancing. I'm feeling really proud. Wow, look, I'm in the room with so-and-so, and I'm that's what I get a lot of these people are experiencing, and they're like, okay, look, first of all, I had nothing to do with all of that. I didn't know if this is what now they have to do. A simple look, I didn't have anything to do with that, doesn't suffice anymore. And I feel bad that people have to be very transparent with a simple business transaction or or inquiry. Epsy had a lot of money and people were trying to fund their projects, just like I'm trying to fund the reboot of the web series. I'm going through all kinds of channels and asking for money again, which I hate doing, you know. It's that, and that's and I feel I feel bad. But um that's that's where we are with these people trying to protect themselves, I guess. Um, so that that was another joyful moment of the week, watching the clips come through of her like not playing games with them. Um send uh trending, send Baron. Um he's 19 years old now, and I feel like I can say he has a face that I don't trust what's going on behind those eyes. Um, one, I really don't. Uh it's in the arrogance, too. There's been leaked audio of him saying some real crazy shit. But 97.1% of people polled said yes uh to Baron being uh drafted into the US of uh armed forces and shipped off to war in Iran. And uh South Park uh writer, I think he is, uh Toby Morton, he trolled the whole thing and he created a website uh that says um Draft Baron Trump. It's a real website. Draft Baron Trump. It's it's comedy gold, man. It's comedy gold. Oh yeah, check it out. The links are below, but you can remember, you can remember that. Uh hey, the the actor awards were fun. Listen, this is one of the award shows that I like because it's about actors acknowledging actors. It's not like, you know, um the bigger institution or whatever, you know, people feeling like they had to do the whole um circuit thing and kiss ass and hopefully get nominated or whatever. Um this is from stories I've been told, allegedly. Uh, but the actor awards, which used to be the SAG After Awards, which is the union, uh they honor their own, which I think is really cool. Uh so um actors honoring actors, uh Carrie Russell getting her award for uh The Diplomat. If you haven't seen that show, oh my god. It it's genius, it's absolutely well written, well played. It is fucking genius, and I'm mad that it goes by so fast, and I get so sucked in and I love it so much. I want more, and it's like I and I can watch it over and over again while. First of all, there's no show on this planet that will ever make me watch it over and over again outside of heated rivalry because you know it's heated rivalry and I'm still addicted. Anyway, uh The Diplomat is the bomb, it is fucking good, and it's smartly it's the same smart smart writing as the West Wing. And if you know, you know. Um I'm so happy for Sinners. I saw Sinners. Sinners was fucking amazing. I'm running through, and it's like I saw it yesterday. That's how vivid is still in my mind. Every most of the big moments. Um, the music, the dancing, the the cultural evolution you see in the it. It's so beautiful. Um, the only thing I did not like was that one of the twins gets killed and one survives because you know he becomes a vampire with the girl that he loves. And um I would have loved to see them both as vampires living all these years. It would have been so so fucking amazing. Um, and I love that their names that they were chosen. I don't I don't know if they were their birth names or their nicknames, but it was uh Smoke and Stack, and I I love shit like that. That's so cool. Um so yeah, Michael B. Jordan uh won the Best Actor Award for that, and Viola Davis's reaction to that whole thing was great. Um, everyone was like trying to figure out what did she say? What was that she said? Because she's so excited, and you really don't get the whole thing, but it's a line from um Joe Turner's Come and Gone. Um and uh how's it go? Um uh your Your Shinin' Oh, I forgot the character's name. Basically, um Michael is shining in this moment. It was it was wonderful, it was so cool to see. Um, it's uh Your Shining Harold Loomis. Your shining Harold Loomis. I forgot I wrote it down right here. Um yeah, they he looks so handsome up there, and and I'm I thought there would be some tears. Maybe I didn't see the tears or whatever, but I think that because of where he's come in this journey with this show and where he started. I don't know if y'all remember when he was in the wire. I was like, that dude is gonna go far. Um jealous, uh, but happy. Uh he was gonna go far. Um, but you could see the resolve in his demeanor and you know the the joy and the pride he felt in in his accomplishment. Um he is a good actor. I mean he is a good actor. He is a good actor. Um BAFTA can kick rocks. I'm never watching, never supporting, never caring about BAFTA ever again. It for those who don't know, BAFTA is the UK version of the Oscars. Um first of all, the whole Okay, there are many facets to this to this part of it, and that I personally find offensive is what's come to light is there was a lot of editing done to the show before it aired for other reasons. Like there was a uh an acceptance speech where they said um something about Israel and free Palestine that was edited out, um, and a few other things, something that um what's his name? Oh shit, I forgot his name. Uh the the host of the night. Um something he had said and was edited out, but they mirac miraculously seem to have missed the N-word being shouted out by someone who has Tourette. Um they were on a delay as well, from what I understand. All of that could have been edited. And the s I mean, even when I heard it, I was like You can see it in their faces, they're like what the f do we To me in my head, in my mind from what I was seeing them, they would they held it down because you know they had to do their thing, but they are bigger men than me because I would have just simply put the envelope down, turned around, walked off. I would not I would not have entertained any of that. I wouldn't have stayed for any of that, I wouldn't have done any of that. Um Mr. Lindo. He's like, he's an elder. He's someone I I admire a lot. Um I loved his work and the good fight. That's the most I've ever got to see him do anything. Um I know he's been an actor in many many films. Um but I'm a fan. And the way his he just I don't know how to describe it. You can see it was in their faces, and then it just went into their bodies how they stealed themselves because they knew this is not the place or the time. Um to respond to that. And they still haven't really. He's he was interviewed. I saw a clip on somewhere uh that he was being interviewed, and the interviewer was gonna was doing the promo, opening promo uh hook or whatever. Um, we're gonna get into that, and he's started chuckling saying, No, we're not. He's like, I don't want to talk about this. He doesn't need to talk about it. Um I was just trying to remember his name again. But so here we here we were dismissing the or or excusing the the fact that you know this person has Tourette's and we should understand and be mindful. But what was not expressed was the the violence and the harm that word in that term with the hard R has. And um there's no there's no apology for what they did because if you were able to edit out all this other stuff that you thought was too politically toxic, that right there is a reason to to hold it down, right? For for people. And one of the the things that I loved about UK television and films, and you know, for the most part, is they're very interracial. They're very interracial. I just have to thought, is it maybe because of the stock that they have and the people that they're close by? I mean, they're just very interracial. You I mean, from TV shows to the films, there's so many people, Asians, blacks, uh, South Americans, Latinos, America. It's so interracial. And it's you're like, oh my god, I can relate to this entire show because I see even the new with uh what's that one with um industry? There's so many different kinds of people because it is a portray anyway. Um yeah, BAFTA can fuck off. They lost they lost a fan. Um so I've I've binged to Bridget Bridgerton this week, and okay, I like Bridgerton because it's it's uh what if it's it's just very romantical, and I just love it. I love the costume, especially the men's costumes, they're so beautiful. Um I love I love everything about it. I don't like the fact that though it's a lot of the people of color, it's it just seems like the people of color who are not native to this part of the world or just assimilating themselves into this part of the world to for equality. I don't know. It it it there is a good side to this and there's a bad side to this, but it's mostly because of Queen Charlotte elevating people, I suppose, right? If you watch Queen Charlotte, which is great. I I love this, it's it's beautiful. Um I'm so excited that they moved the needle in uh more uh visibility so far. Okay, I'm trying I'm trying to use the right words here. They moved the needle as far as sexuality in making bisexuality very upfront and present with Benedict. And I I love that because I I'm glad they didn't make him just a gay cat, the gay brother. I he's the by-brother, because it, if you haven't watched it, he's been with men, he's been with women, and it's very in the sensuality of it all was always there because he was a playboy, he was the second son, he knew a lot of responsibilities were not really on his shoulders. Um, so he could just you know be himself and just explore the world and you know, just show up when he needed to show up, but the world was his oyster and he explored it all. Um, I love, like I said, the interracial couplings, just up front and center for all to see. The the uh the fact that he told his love interest, which I found out in the books that he was searching for her for like two years or something like that, um uh that he came out to her as being bi. And I I thought it was kind of like a womp op the way she reacted to it, but I think I think maybe she might have analyzing it. Maybe she was a little shy, she didn't want to ask questions, but you know, she just was happy to be there with him. But I would have been like, really? Tell me more. What is that what is that like for you? You know, all of all of that. Um, but I love how they they let him come out as being bi, and I think it's wonderful. Um the Lord Killed Martin's death, that took me by surprise. One, okay, I was feeling really uncomfortable for very superficial reasons because um his skin tone and um Fran Fran's skin tone. She was so porcelain white and he was so onyxly black that them together is beautiful to see how they would just and how they were interact with each other. But I was like, I found myself uncomfortable when they were intimate because I'm like, what are people thinking? Like, are they gonna get hate mail? I hope they're okay. I was worrying about them, and I don't know why where that came from. But I was like, they look so cute together, even when they were courting, it was adorable. The two nerds found each other, and I was like, Yes! I mean, even the nerds like finding love in Jim Richardson, this is great. Um, but I did find myself upset because the the way he died, it's like it was very sudden, and I'm like, this is weird. Um, and the finale of it all just fell flat. I mean, the queen letting Lady uh uh uh Danbury go off and find herself, find her people. Um still romantic and beautiful, so yeah. I finally I think there's one more and then that's it, right? Uh so we'll see. Alright, folks. I didn't really plan this to be a long one, but it's gonna be a long one. So detoxing from social media is um the it's gonna be hard. Um and you'll understand why in a minute. So, first of all, um the addiction has been proven. Uh first of all, we're constantly bombarded with ads uh trying to sell you something. Either a promise, a dream, a career, they're trying constantly trying to separate you from your money. Um, they even caught me a couple times with some shit that I bought for the kids, and I'm like, it's garbage. Um it's just relentless. So what can we do? What do we do? Where can we turn? What it it's it's a tough mess, and my notes are like messing with me right now because I wish I had a better app to use for my notes, but anywho. Um so one study from 2012, and I'm gonna read it so this way you guys can know. And the link is down below. You can read the study. Um let me get my glasses, I don't want to struggle. I meant to struggle. This is my old classes. I like these a lot, but the prescription is dying. And uh this happened. I don't know how that happened. This is another rant. 200 bucks for the frames, and look at this. Okay, anywho. Alright, so um uh okay, a 2012 study of college students with mobile phone dependence tracked structural changes to the brain similar to what has been discovered in the brains of individuals with substance addiction. Um leading addiction experts have said the dopamine cycle initiated by social media use social media use mirrors that seen in drug users. What do you do with that? What do you do with that? You I see and I see it myself. There uh people on the train, they have their kids, they give the kids an iPad, and the kid is playing a game, and it's just colorful and the games and response, and it reminds me of that episode of Star Trek with those things they put over their face, and it was a virtual game that every time the they got the the disc to go into the funnel, they kind of hit like like um a rush of something. And then then we had to do it more and more and more to get that same. It's it's that that's that's what it is. All right, so check out that that article there. Um, then there was a 2016 uh study of people suffering from gaming addiction found their neurological responses to game cues mirrored those seen in drug addicts experiencing physical cravings. So, and Matt, think think about it this way: if you're a smoker and you don't have a cigarette, you run out of cigarettes and you can't get to a cigarette, that craving for nicotine, that's what that is. That what do you do with that? The link for that uh article is below too. Then there's the meta-eternal meta-intern research. Um, CNN uh article that came out in February, and it goes into a lot of detail. Um, but the files raise new questions about meta uh knowing about the risks of platform of the platform, especially in young people. So keep them engaged, keep them scrolling, keep them, you know, show them their friends and what their friends are doing or other people. You can be beautiful like me if you just do these things, you know, all that shit. Um and then the uh and for to get a perspective uh on more studies that were done for this, for your own edification, uh, diary of Diary of a CEO interview uh with social psychologist Jonathan Hayes, H A I D T and Harvard physician Dr. Aditi Nurrikar, N-E-R-U-R-K-A-R. Nur. I'm sorry, Doc, if I ruined that. Uh they reveal how tech addiction and short-term videos are rotting your brain. And why AI chat why AI chatbots could cause the next global addiction crisis. Because believe it or not, there are people who are creating these chat box like they're they're uh dating and and best friends and all of that stuff where creating even families, which reminds me of that Voyager episode where the doctor created a whole holographic family, and he programmed them to be, you know, real people, and they died from different it's very weird. It's a weird episode, uh, but interesting because he was exploring humanity, right? Anyway, um, you should check out this this interview diary of a CEO. The link is below. I really want you to check it out because the information is what's going to help you, I think, if you're looking to detox or figuring out why you cannot relinquish your phone for like 15 minutes. And it's not just the phone itself, it's the apps. They're draining me of everything, my time, for one. Um, I fall into a rabbit hole because at first I look for something too, because I'm gonna write or create an episode or get data or know what I'm talking about. So I get and then I fall into a rabbit hole because something grabs my attention, and then this and then that. Oh, and then I see somebody I know, and then they posted, and it just, I'm like, oh shit, what the fuck was I doing? Oh, yeah, let me go back. And I look look at a note and like, oh, okay, it's in that, and then I fall back in. I'm like, and next thing I know, four hours have gone by. I'm like, what the fuck? Um then my attention, I can't, I mean, every seven seconds or so, people will reach for their phone. They've they've done this this research test. Me, I'm like, I try to like all the way over there, if you can see it. That's like my floating night table stand. I have my phone charger, my it's a it's a docking station for my watch, my airpods, and my phone. Um, but I leave it there because my alarm goes off in the morning, and I've tried to leave it here on the desk. Um I don't like getting up when I don't have to, or I'll scream across the room. Um, you know who snooze. I don't want to say because then she'll wake up. Um but doing it over there is just better, I guess. I don't have to get up out of bed. Uh, and I'm not ready to get up because I'm not ready to get up. Anyway. Um, so it's there, and if I'm and if I have my iPad over there, which is holding a light, so I can't show it to you, but my iPad is right here. This is where I like watch a film while I'm eating or I'm doing something. Um, I'll have it over there on the stand. And you know, something boring is happening. I'm not interested into this this uh thing happening, and I'll reach for the phone, and I'll, you know, the phone is going and I'm fiddling on my phone. And and I think I mentioned this in another another time, where how films are made or how they're um uh created in a way because they're playing to the audience because they know most people are on their phone, so they're they're uh what's the word? They're indicating instead of really acting, they're indicating what they're doing just so your ears are like, oh, that's what's going on over there. Um they're doing their best, but I mean that it seems it seems that way, right? So there's that. Uh so they know people are on their phones, so they're trying to keep them engaged somehow. Or I'm trying to read. I'm hold on a second. I'm reading a play that I found by a Puerto Rican writer. I can't focus. I really can't focus. I think I've read the same few pages like four times. I'm still reading Heated Rivalry. I'm on chapter six. Every time I pick it up, my attention just drifts away. I've been trying, uh okay, that's it. Um so yeah, I can't, I can't, it's hard to watch something because my attention doesn't stick so long, especially if I'm bored. Um and I can't read because I can't focus. Or if I'm working, I you know, I it's really tough. So it's it's robbing me of my attention, it's robbing me of my money. I've got I went through because there were some things that um I was subscribed to that I'm like, do I really need this? And you know, especially, you know, it's the time of year where everything's going up in New York. So um I had to really look at my budget. What do I do? What don't I need and what do I need? So, you know, I got rid of a bunch of stuff. And what I kept is like my guitar apps that I use to practice my bass and my guitar because it's classes and then practice sessions, all that is paid and it's worth it, absolutely worth it for the money. So I kept those. I dumped the shit that I don't need. Um so yeah, if you don't if you don't know how to do this and you don't forgot what you're subscribed to, because a lot of people forgot forget what they're subscribed to, go into subscriptions and you're in go to the the gray wheel thingy, the settings on your phone. Uh go to type in subscriptions in the search bar, and then it'll take it to whatever you're subscribed to is there and you can end it. Like, you know, it doesn't know I was gonna name it app, but no. Um yeah, and and then because of that, the ads that are constantly on selling you stuff, you know, it's it's really infuriating because these things are listening to you. We all know this, okay? So I can't have a conversation or think about something that I want to, and I say think because I could be thinking about something, then all of a sudden it's there. I don't know. The constant bombardment of ads is just out of control. Everything everything is an ad. Especially if you're into something like when I got Max, I was in researching, I was researching pet insurance because I'm really considering because you know, having him, having Tony girl, they're important to me. And I want to, you know, I I don't have out of pocket money to. Take him to the vet, and I know especially him, he's gonna need the vet. How much is this gonna cost me? I'm just researching, finding you know, ways to like we're just looking at information. All of a sudden, all of my social media is throwing ads at me to buy pet insurance and why one is better than the other. And I'm like, I thought I fixed that before because you could pull out those those codes and reset, but they found a way around it. Um yeah, cancel what you're not using, and then my mental focus, like I said, I can't focus on the the the short for colorful short form videos give you a dopamine hit, so it's like it'll keep your attention. Whereas, you know, you're reading black and white on a paper, nothing's activating your your pleasure center, I suppose, and that's why you're not focusing on that. For me, I guess when I was in class, I had to learn my lines for my performances because I had to learn them. There was no choice in that. But what I did do, because when I was doing a lot of my studying and memorizing at work, um, I would leave my phone up in my locker, which I normally don't like to do because if there's an emergency and we have to bug out of there, I have nothing on me. Um, so I would leave it up there, knowing that it's nowhere near me, and I can't go up there because I'm on duty. I have my book and I can focus on that. That's the only time it worked. Um uh yeah, so the short form colorful videos do that to you, and the games as well. They keep you engaged, like Candy Crush and all of that. I I beg you if you play those Tetris, Candy Crush, all those things are messing with your brain in such a way, and I'm not like this crazy conspiracy person. The the facts are in, the data is there, people of note, not like some weirdo um TikToker is telling it. It's these are people who have careers in mental health and and phys uh mental um uh physician physician oh god, I can't speak all of a sudden. I'm sorry. Experts are ringing the damn bells, they're sounding the alarm. It's really fucking with your with your brains and how we think and how we function. Um which brings me to the the TikTok thing, you know, the trash versus versus value. Now, first of all, I don't know if you know if you knew this, you know. First of all, dump the damn app because of the US controlling the US algorithm. Even saying that sounds so stupid, because like anyway, just dump it because I mean, even if it I know a lot of people are making their livelihoods using TikTok, but the way they're doing it now, posts are not posts are getting shadow banned, they're being pushed to the side, they're not getting uploaded, you know, it it's craziness of what's going on, and it's fucking with people's money. Um, and I'm sure they see exactly who's getting what, so they're like, oh, that's where money's going. Let's you know, we want to keep that money. Somehow they're gonna find a way to take your money. Um, did you know that China in China TikTok shuts off at a turn at a certain hour? I was surprised at that. They have strict rules on everything over there, but for TikTok, it shuts off at a certain hour, let's say 10, because I don't remember remember the the exact time, but say 10 o'clock at night that turns off. If they're pushing anything or you screw uh something at at the uh users, it's like follow these important figures, their accomplishments, who they are, what they've done for China, who they are, all that all that stuff. Um and they set all kinds of limits on all kinds of apps because they don't they know what it's gonna do to young minds. In America, TikTok will push you garbage. When I downloaded it again just to see, because I was gonna try to really make an effort to use it financially right away. Uh, because of Bad Bunny and the the album and all that, a lot of my feed was all about Bad Bunny and the album and the the residency and all that, which was fine. Then I started seeing ads for um ice, then I started seeing ads for um pet insurance, and I started seeing all kinds of stuff that I just look it just started going nuts. So then try to reset. I tried to reset and uh get just what I was interested in and follow people that I and it works differently than Instagram. I kind of thought it would work like Instagram, but um it's I think what you put in is what you get back out, something like that. I don't know, but I I was not enjoying it. I was not enjoying it at all, and I not so much I didn't really I I cared about people I knew posting, but I really wanted just to post and just go. But it was like once I picked it up, I was like, what is this? Like, I how do I get past it all? I I'm too old to understand TikTok. So I dumped it. Then all the data came out, and you know, the US thing taking over the US algorithm that made it even worse. Um, so yeah, they feed you garbage. You've got Karen and Kevin, and I'm sorry for every Karen and Kevin I know, but you've got their rampages going on, like you know, one person posting, and then next thing you know, there's more, and just because you looked at it more than 30 seconds, more and more will start coming through. And I think that's how they get you as well. Not that you like it or interact with it, but if you stay looking at something for longer or a particular amount of time, you're like, oh, there's this viewer is interested in this this uh content. Let's give them more of that. And it would be these lunatic people just bothering people and stupid kid pranks too. Like the d the d we used to we used to um do the ding dong knock door dash thing back in the 70s, but it you know, you didn't get shot doing it. I think it's stupid, but anyway. It's a lot and it's making me emotional and uh giving me anxiety. But I the whole point because I really honestly guys, I really did not want to do this episode, but I felt it was important because I realized how I was starting to react to my phone and what I how I was interacting with what I was creating. And in the beginning I just created, posted, and let it be. And I wasn't really trying to get a lot of engagement. But um to monetize, I have to ask the say the words and ask the ask the engagement. I figure, you know, if people want to do that, they're gonna do that. But I found myself falling into the trap or checking to see uh what's going on instead of being creative. So I moved myself back to the creative part. Which brings me to the tips from the experts, the two doctors that I mentioned. Um uh what was his name? He's uh Dr. Jonathan, the site, yeah, the social psychologist Jonathan, he suggests uh deleting the slot meet slot machine apps, like you know, uh the colorful ones that play the games and all of that. Also, Instagram, um uh Facebook, all of that stuff. Because he made a point. All of that stuff you can interact with on your laptop, you don't have to do it with your device, which is constantly with you and on you, and you're hidden that dopamine all the time. Remember back in the day, you know, Facebook was just on your computer, like you know, uh MySpace, and you checked in to see what was going on, and then you checked out. You know, that was it. I would post something, see who people, and it was, you know, people you were following is all you ever saw. You didn't see anything else. Um, and then more and more people you connected to, the more and more stuff, and people started falling to the bottom. And so it was more of that, and then you would just walk away and they've they changed it where they constantly have your, but you can still go on your laptops or your computers and do that. You can upload photos, you can make a comment, you can see blah blah blah, and then you can walk away because this you can't take with you, right? Going here because my laptop is right right there. Um he really uh the apps that keep you engaged Facebook, Instagram, X, uh, gaming apps, all of that, get them off your phone. Because technically, it's it this was really not meant for it to be a toy, right? Um, and back when we had flip phones, that's what we use it for to make calls and to text people or you know, get in touch. Hey, where are you? I'm at the I'm at the corner, blah blah blah. Meet me, okay. We're all heading to Roxy in 15 minutes. Boom. Um the uh physician, she says, Dr. Haditi, Aditi, A-D-I-T-I, Aditi. She offers grayscaling your phone, meaning turning every the colors into a grayscale, which it won't affect your your your um your mind that way. Um the vibrant colors, she says the vibrant colors keep your attention and it doesn't have an addictive feel to it, um, and it reduces the compulsion to scroll. So if you put everything to black and white or scale, um, my apps are all kind of like on a uh right now they're they're colored because I changed my wall my wallpaper. Do you see my wallpaper? I'll show you my wallpaper. This is my wallpaper. That's my wallpaper. Shut up. Um but the apps all look like this now because I haven't changed it. Normally I have it like on um a solid like color, um, which I'll do now. I'll show you what I mean. Uh customize and clear. Is it clear or tinted? The tinted ones, yeah. Like it'll it'll match the color. I'm not a fan of green, but it'll match the phone, and I'm like, that just blends in all together for me. That doesn't, and plus I'm colorblind, so it helps me stay away from it. Um, it doesn't give me um a headache. Let's see. Okay. So now now you know. Um, and that's because I got this case, and I thought I ordered the blue one, but this came in the mail, and I thought it was um I'm told it's green. I don't know what color it is. I think it's green, so I just matched the color of the screen to match it. I'm handicapped. Uh not making fun of that. I being colorblind is very distressful. Just to un so you understand, I can see color. It's just certain shades of color, I mistake them for other colors, or they blend together and I can't tell which is which. Certain shades of red and green do that to me. Um, blues and red uh greens do that to me. I'm technically blue-green colorblind. I know my glasses are blue, but what kind of blue next to another blue, I can't tell. Um all of that. Uh yeah. Streetlight here street lights. Uh the I know it's um red, yellow, green, but what I see is white, orange, um uh green. Yeah, white, orange, and green. That's what I see. I just know if it's the top light is on stop. That's how I function in the world, folks. That's alright. All right. Um, so she had that's one of her her um her suggestions. She also suggests keeping uh small tweaks like keeping your devices out of reach, uh, limiting your usage, um, removing all notification except important ones, like for instance, and this was from the uh uh Dr. Johnson. He says uh like Uber and Lyft or whatever, you know, that that's important to keep that notification up because you know one know when your car is coming. That was his. But um, I don't know. If you have one, like some uh uh laundry apps, you know, once you because you can pay and activate machines with your phone, um, it will give you the app itself will alert you when the cycle is running out. I had one of those for a while. Um, anything important, you know. Um if you have use my chart for your doctor's appointments, you know, you want to have a you know you have an appointment coming up on this day, blah blah all that jazz. Um, and then she she also suggests again to stop, breathe, and be. And I thought this was really cool because if you're especially for young people, and if you know young people who are who are in this situation, get them to like chill out for a second. What you want to do is um reset your brain. Take three seconds to reset. Before you check your device, she says to stop, breathe, and be. Uh ground yourself in a pleasant moment, think back into the think about the here and now. Ground yourself. Right now, I'm just looking at my desk and I'm doing this, and I'm I'm okay. I'm having coffee. Um, it's morning, I'm happy. Um, I have no interest in scrolling or doing because I'm actually busy right now. But do those things and then um decrease the uh decrease what future focused thinking. Um what if future focused thinking because if let me refer, let me start out because I want to be clear. Decrease what if future focused thinking, meaning that the uh future focus thinking, thinking about things in the future is anxiety producing. So, like me, like I said once uh last time, I catastrophize a lot if I'm left if I wasn't taking the medication that's keeping me um from overthinking and being uh compulsive or obsessive. I'm not over there, I'm cure. I'm like uh I'll deal with whatever when it happens. So yeah, focusing on the here and now and grounding yourself and not worrying about what's on the phone or what have you titled or reflection. So um so yeah. I have lots of uh ideas that you know I'm gonna share with you about um what I do. Some of the stuff I already mentioned, but like the list of things that I do that I to help with my constant wanting to pick up the phone. You're gonna have to come back later for that because I'm gonna talk about that on the side. But I want to know from you. Now you you tell me, you know, do you do you have a device addiction? You're phone addicted to your phone? Do you think you might be addicted to your phone? Think about it. Wanna know, tell me. If you don't give a shit or you don't care, you're like, oh, this is stupid. So I want to hear that too. No judgments. I judged on. So there it is, folks. Until next time, thank you so much for being here. I really do appreciate you just listening to me and watching me talk about stuff. Um, if you made it this far, drop the no phones emoji. It's the red circle, the international symbol for no, and then the phone ends in there. The no phone no phone emoji. Did I say no smoking? That too. No smoking. Um, and of course, you know, if you're watching on YouTube, thanks for being here. Like, follow, subscribe, share, hit the bell. All the notifications come up when new stuff is happening. Um, if you're listening, thank you wherever you're listening. I know I'm on uh Apple Podcasts, I'm on iHeartRadio, I'm on Buzz Buzz Sprout. I love you, Buzz Buzz Sprout. You guys are awesome. Um and uh wherever you listen to pods, uh I you know hit that like button, follow along. Five stars is great because then it just moves me up in the the standing, and I can be number one someday. I don't know. Five stars, please. Appreciate it. Um yeah. So listen, I'm like like I've been saying, I'm trying to keep this, you know, ad free. I know I eventually I will run some ads, but it'll be ads that I create for myself for you guys. Um I'm trying to keep it ads free. So, you know, anything you can do by joining over on Patreon, that would be great because that's where all the bonus segments are and the content, extra content. And sometimes you get to see stuff before everybody else. You might even see this episode watching it now before anybody else is seeing it. So head over there, and the same thing with uh Buzzsprout too. You get to listen to the whole thing before anybody else if um you sign up there. Um trying to figure out how to do behind-the-scenes stuff. I I think I'm gonna have to get someone to help me do that because I can't all someone do behind my scenes, which would be silly. Can you see Max? We get so happy, so. Alright, thanks for being here. Have a great week. Happy welcome to say daylight savings. I forgot to mention that earlier. Uh spring ahead. You're gonna lose an hour, but the sun goes down at like seven something today. Yay! It's gonna get warmer too. We have no seasons anymore. It's just gonna go hot. I think it's the 70s next week. Alright, guys. Peace out, be safe. Great week.