Maybe it is a form of Hypnosis.
It is imho.
I work with quite a few patients who present with technology addiction as either their presenting concern or a secondary concern. It's often porn-use for males that trigger the desire to start addressing problematic technology use overall, but beyond porn there's often social media, doomscrolling, and gambling that are adjacent. Patients coming to therapy for things other than porn (depression, anxiety, PTSD) frequently talk about their technology use and ways it interferes with their lives.
My theory, based on what has been reported in the literature regarding neuropsychological processes involved, is that phones provide users with a conduit to instant novelty - novelty is signaled in our brains through the release of dopamine which rewards us and compels us to 'do more of this thing'. In everyday life novelty is generally a good thing - some new resource is discovered, a new piece of information, a new way to do something etc. It can be protective and enjoyable.
With phones in particular, there's the pairing of that 'novelty' dopamine release with the rhythmic movement of our finger against the screen. The tactile feedback becomes conditioned and paired with the novelty reward which tells our brains to 'do more scrolling'. Often the novelty discovered is a new reel or tiktok (these are the most frequently referenced super addictive things my patients struggle with). The novelty is often low value - a momentarily funny video might be the most compelling takeaway - maybe it's something worth sharing with a friend but ultimately the experience isn't particularly 'valuable'. Still there's a compulsion to keep doing it despite the lack of benefit.
Phones are accessible most of the day for a lot of people. Bored for a moment? Pull it out and scroll. Sitting alone somewhere waiting for something? Scroll. Watching a television show? What not scroll while you're at it!
Netflix even suggests that the direction of their programs utilize a formula where they front-load TV and Movies with action sequences to draw people in, knowing once they've committed, they'll stick with the program but may turn to their phones while watching. This leads to a recommendation that writers have characters repeat the main plot points several times throughout a show or movie since they want people to be able to follow. Damon and Affleck were discussing this recently on Joe Rogan.
So - long story short - it's quite hypnotic and provides an escape from boredom, social anxiety, stress that you might want to distract from. It's a conduit to dissociation that occurs via an external medium.
What can we do about it?
A few things I recommend to patients that are trying to address it:
1) Do not use your phone for at least the first hour of the day. This helps you wake up naturally and allows your mind to wander. this is healthy for us as it gives us a chance to prepare for the day and process any lingering concerns we have. it also helps to avoid establishing the compulsion to pull out your phone without thinking and start scrolling
2) Set goals for use - what feels like a healthy amount vs. an unhealthy amount. Progress, not perfection. Phones are an integral part of our work/social/life balance for better or for worse, but knowing what you would like your relationship to be is helpful to start working towards it.
3) Phone free evenings once or twice a week - get into the habit of having a day or two a week where you do not use devices during leisure time. Start reading books or doing wordgames, plan some sort of social activity or physical exercise during that time - anything that can help you to adjust to not turning to devices for leisure/recreation time
4) Tell your friends if you're trying to make a change - verbal commitment helps with making your choice more real, and may help others to consider their own use and/or consider supporting you. It's like when someone wants to quit smoking it's recommended to tell others when your quit date is as this seems to help peoplpe stick with it instead of backing out.
Phone free spaces are starting to become a thing - society is always in flux. This may be a passing fad that we look at much differently years from now. Kids growing up with this stuff may have very different feelings about devices than those of us who experienced the release and intrusion of smart tech on our lives.
Sorry for the long comment - just have lots of thoughts about phone use.
