Addicted to SEEKING - What's Next!

Humans are all about "Next" especially in this day in age; especially on this platform as we hunt and peck for money as well as social interactions.

Social acceptance and monetary compensation for ideas. That is some heady shit.

In Affective Neuroscience, as laid out by Jaak Panksepp, there are seven base level human emotions. One of them is SEEKING. SEEKING is the system engaged in response to a primary emotive affect.

If the signal in = RAGE? You look for something to fight. FEAR? Look for a place to hide. CARE? Look for your momma, your dog, or your baby. LUST? The activation of the SEEKING system is euphoric in nature, especially when it pays off with some kind of "cookie". It feels good.

Scrolling Junkies

I believe that we 1st and 2nd world countries with high media and internet penetration have overactive seeking systems. That "dopamine hit" that FB defectors have brought to light is all about the SEEKING system. Jonesing for a fix is a hyperactive SEEKING system.

One thing that I really like about this place is that the value of an upvote does a good job of tamping down the SEEKING system and making it something more methodical and thoughtful. It's almost like a long term, or strategic social media engagemet vs short term tactical interaction.

I think it has a positive effect on reducing some of the more ugly expressions of internet based social addiction.

Crabs in a Bucket

This is the one that I'm not sure if we're capable of solving. The SEEKING itch and neuro-chemical of social interaction and making money is going to make some people lose their minds. That's just a fact.

I think the question becomes how to mitigate it. And how, culturally, we respond. Peer pressure is a powerful motivator. I'm personally afraid of the Crab's mentality taking over this place. I've seen some popular people argue from this perspective and many arguments that activate the Crab Mentality emotions in people.