#4: Overdosing on Dopamine and other 21st Century Crises
By Sarah Wexler
The Decade’s Dilemma
The theme of the 2020s is excess. We have easy access to everything at all times—music, money, news, communication, shopping, and entertainment. With endless information being so accessible, it’s hard to know what to even focus on anymore. We are constantly bombarded with notifications, updates, and alerts, about everyone and everything.
I look at my phone, and my friend’s text about her crisis is under a breaking news alert about whatever (scary stuff) is happening at the White House that day; below that, an email from my professor, and underneath that, Uber Eats is telling me to order McDonalds. In a single glance, I’m reminded of global politics, personal relationships, academic responsibilities, and social distractions—all competing for my attention at the same time.
And it’s only 8AM.
That early morning hit of dopamine messes with our brain chemistry for the rest of the day. Think about it: our ancestors woke up and immediately faced tough challenges—hunting, building fires, and fighting for survival. Activities that have delayed satisfaction. Now, we wake up and dive straight into social media. Without challenging ourselves right when we wake up—by succumbing to the dopamine spike immediately after we open our eyes—it reduces our ability to perform tasks throughout the day.
People say not to mix business with pleasure, but in reality, we mix everything—work, personal life, social obligations, news, and entertainment—into one endless consumption of information, most of the time within a single minute. The boundaries between different aspects of our lives are completely blurred, making it harder to disconnect and be fully present.
The embarrassing part is, I can’t even fully relax anymore. I remember as a kid when watching TV used to be a way to unwind. Now it’s boring—I can’t watch a show without scrolling on my phone or doing another task. My brain has come to need two screens to “relax,” when really I should be comfortable with a little “boredom”. Relaxing with a purpose, I guess.
I feel like this overall “excess” is taking a toll on us in more than one way. We are exhausted and overwhelmed when we come home from school and work because there is no longer a clear separation between different parts of our lives. I can be physically in my bed, but I am also in class, I’m socializing, and worrying about 10 other things.
We simply can’t be there for ourselves and others fully if we have access to everything else at all times. Yet, it’s almost laughable to think about setting boundaries when our phones and digital media are everything to us.
And I get it, we all hate hearing it. We all know our screen time is too high, our dopamine receptors are f*****, and most of society is chronically online. But I think if we take small steps in our personal lives to have more of a balanced lifestyle, we would see a major difference in both our social battery and our ability to think critically in our professional lives.
What happened to details and nuance?
Another thing—the magic of words and art is lost. We text each other constantly and consume short-form content so frequently that we have forgotten the novelty of heartfelt communication. We’re communicating more, but saying less. Just read this letter written by author Virginia Woolf from 1926:
“Forgive my plain speech, but every thought of you turns the grey of daily life into a wild tapestry of color; my heart, reckless and unashamed, is hopelessly, absurdly in love with you.”
Like omg. When was the last time we expressed something with such purpose and attention to detail? The closest thing to that I’ve seen this week is an Instagram story that said “Happy birthday to my gorg bestie ily <3”
I might be partial to the appreciation of written words because I am a reader and writer at heart. But there is less attention to detail in everything because we know people are going to just scroll right past it anyway and forget about it.
So it’s not just our attention spans that are suffering–it’s also our ability to connect and communicate with each other.
Oh, and don’t even get me started on AI. We are doomed. Bring back appreciation of art and details and words and nuance!!!!!!
Because It’s Easy
I can’t think about this too much because I literallyyy get stressed out and have a second-hand existential crisis. I just want everyone to slow down. Very few things in life are urgent, unless you’re an emergency surgeon or something like that.
We text each other and have less to say in person, we read tweets more than books, we watch Instagram reels more than films. Because its easier.
Why would I read a book when that takes days/weeks/months when we can get a nice spike of dopamine within 7 seconds? Why watch a documentary if I could watch a 8 part video series on TikTok about drama between two influencers I’ve never heard of?
You get the point.
Fake Plastic Trees
I feel like we need to create real, concrete boundaries. The US tech oligarchy is preying on our ruined brain chemistry, our need to constantly be connected to each other, and our heightened work ethics.
There is too much of everything. Which can be great in some ways. There is enough music, shows, movies, podcasts, and spaces on the internet for the ultimate personalized media experience. There is something to be said about feeling seen and not alone through the media you consume. But to take it too far, to find your unique space online and lose your place in reality–well, we are losing the plot (in chronically online speak).
All’s that to say, the connection we feel from our phones and social media is synthetic. A plastic tree looks like a tree but it doesn’t give you any oxygen. The same goes for the connection we feel through screens. It feels like we’re interacting, engaging, staying in touch. But it’s a synthetic version of what real connection is supposed to be.
(Siri Play “Fake Plastic Trees” by Radiohead).
Take this (literal) reality check as an investment in your mental health. Challenging myself—like limiting my screen time—might feel uncomfortable at first, but will most likely bring long-term benefits. Often, the instant gratification of scrolling or indulging in unhealthy habits doesn’t pay off over time.
I know my silly little blog won’t truly change the way we all function on a daily basis. I don’t have a simple solution—a way to find simplicity and humanness in a digitized world. Going forward, I will at least try to be aware of my relationship with my phone and the habit of “doom scrolling.” I’ll try take a second to ask myself: “Am I consuming this because it’s meaningful, or just because it’s easy? And, if I’ve been on my phone too much lately, how can I ground myself?”
Maybe you will too. Or not. I’m not your mom.
