And There Is Pleasure That Kills!
The text examines the impact of the digital revolution on human behavior and communication, citing the death of a young Chinese man and scientific literature.
Translated by Qiyas from النهار — Original source
In a report widely circulated by news agencies, a young Chinese man was found dead in his chair and bed due to internet use and gaming, after playing continuously for 19 hours over several days. This marks the third such incident in a short period. Recently, I read several books on the impact of dopamine and short-form video content (Reels) on human behavior, such as Nicholas Carr’s “The Shallows,” “The Distracted Mind,” and others, which highlight issues like lack of concentration, distraction, impatience, and the inability to experience the pleasure of deprivation, fasting, and abstinence. Instead, people live in virtual worlds that have no connection whatsoever to reality or real life.
In previous articles, we discussed how the dominance of the digital revolution, particularly through the alienation of the sense of sight from other senses via television, mobile phones, PlayStation games for children, and other war and action games, has raised many questions among psychologists and sociologists. The prevalence of violence among children, and the breakdown or absence of conversational language and dialogue among people—even in their gatherings—where each person is absorbed in their own device, has prompted researchers, specialists, and educators to question the impact of these devices on human behavior. Indeed, people are sacrificing their health, eyesight, and well-being for the sake of entertainment.
It is evident that the virtual digital world, in which individuals spend hours and which knows no concept of “no,” has separated humans from both the real world and the realm of imagination. In this world, you get everything you want and find everything you seek within reach. Even in gaming, you become the heroic protagonist, able to complete all levels in a few days. And in this virtual space, Google never says “no.” However, when you return to the real world after long hours in the virtual realm, you encounter many “nos”—from peers, siblings, parents, and relatives. This creates a chasm of resistance between the imaginary virtual world and the real world, leading to violence due to the lack of dialogue between these worlds and among individuals, as well as the collision between the real and the false.
Moreover, this digital world and these games among children promote individualism and selfishness over cooperative group play. In the past, games were collective, fostering team spirit and community. Today, each child is absorbed in their own device, and each person isolates themselves in their private world.
According to the latest British research statistics on human communication and its impact, the results were striking: 7% words, 38% tone of voice, and 55% gestures and facial expressions. This means that digital communication via WhatsApp, Twitter, Facebook, and similar platforms conveys only 7% of total human communication. Therefore, we stated that this is a virtual, illusory world that cannot replace human interaction in any way.
Jesus Christ said, “In the beginning was the Word.” Will words always endure throughout history, inscribed in the pages of time? Or will dominance remain with the image and this illusory world, which is like a mirage in a desert plain, which the thirsty mistakingly believes to be water?
