Welcome to the digital jungle—where screen time is currency, dopamine is king, and the line between reality and virtuality gets blurrier by the scroll. In episode #035 of The Shift Show, hosts Andrea McTague and Alberto Medeiros tackle a topic so universal it’s practically woven into the fabric of modern existence: internet addiction.

This isn’t your standard “put your phone down” lecture. It’s a deep dive into the why behind our scrolling habits, the psychological cost of our digital dependencies, and most importantly—how to find your way out of the endless feed and back into a meaningful life.

The Dopamine Dilemma: Why We’re Hooked

At the heart of this episode is one fundamental truth: the internet is addictive by design.

Alberto, with clinical calm and a splash of personal history, shares his own past addiction to video games, setting the tone for an episode that’s as introspective as it is analytical. Together, he and Andrea unpack how screen time functions like a neurological drug, releasing spikes of dopamine—our brain’s “feel-good” chemical—without any of the effort that evolution intended.

Andrea cleverly compares this to the difference between eating mangoes and mainlining Mountain Dew. Natural dopamine (like that from conversations or completing goals) comes with fibre—effort, time, and real-life reward. Internet-based dopamine, on the other hand, is processed sugar for the soul: fast, cheap, and destructive when consumed in excess.

Addiction in Disguise: It Doesn’t Look Like You Think

Forget the stereotype of the reclusive gamer in a basement. Internet addiction today wears many masks: endless TikTok scrolling, compulsive email checking, binge-watching Netflix, even online shopping black holes that devour your Sunday afternoon.

And here’s the kicker: most of us don’t even realize we’re addicted.

Andrea calls it “mass psychosis”—a normalization so widespread that we’ve lost the ability to recognize the problem. And Alberto adds a chilling truth: “The worst part is, people don’t even think it’s a problem to begin with.”

Digital Dopamine and the Destruction of Self-Control

One of the most impactful segments of the episode explores how chronic screen use erodes the brain’s ability to regulate itself. Dopamine overload desensitizes the reward system, leading to a tolerance effect—meaning we need more extreme content to feel the same buzz. Sound familiar?

Even scarier is the hit our prefrontal cortex—the part of the brain responsible for planning, focus, and decision-making—takes. Over time, this “executive function” dulls, making it harder to resist compulsive behaviors and easier to fall into mindless scrolling.

It’s a slow-burning self-sabotage.

The Emotional Fallout: Avoidance, Anxiety, and the Illusion of Connection

But this episode doesn’t stop at the neurological. Andrea and Alberto dive deep into the emotional mechanics behind our screen habits. One of the show’s standout insights is that many of us use screens to avoid unpleasant emotions—boredom, shame, sadness, even simple discomfort.

By numbing those feelings with dopamine-on-demand, we’re interrupting our brain’s feedback loops—the very system that helps us learn, connect, and grow. It’s not just avoidance; it’s emotional atrophy.

Worse, screen use starts replacing real connection. Andrea shares chilling anecdotes of couples who sit in the same room, staring at phones while their relationship quietly dissolves. No eye contact. No conversation. Just a dopamine drip from curated digital lives.

Social Envy and the Plastic Self

And what about social media?

It turns out the problem isn’t just what we consume—it’s how we present ourselves. Social media fuels a dangerous game of comparison and performance, where people showcase curated, filtered versions of their lives for validation. Likes become a proxy for love. Followers replace friends. And slowly, we trade our authentic self for what Andrea calls “the mask self.”

We’re all starring in our own Truman Show—and no one’s actually watching.

The ADHD Pandemic and Neurodivergence

Alberto coins a powerful phrase: The ADHD Pandemic.

With brains conditioned to seek stimulation every few seconds, people are starting to experience real difficulties with focus, organization, and patience. And while not everyone who experiences these symptoms has ADHD, the digital landscape certainly mimics it.

Andrea and Alberto also touch on how early screen exposure in children can impede the development of crucial social and communication skills—such as reading facial expressions, understanding tone, or learning patience. The implications for long-term mental health are serious and sobering.

What Are We Really Missing?

The episode doesn’t just focus on what’s wrong—it shines a light on what’s lost in the digital haze:

• Opportunity Cost – Every hour spent scrolling is an hour not spent building something, connecting with someone, or achieving a goal.
• Tangibility – Andrea references a study comparing blue- and white-collar workers, finding that physical, tangible task completion leads to lower rates of depression. Translation? Watching someone else bake bread on TikTok doesn’t feel the same as making it yourself.
• The Ability to Dream – Daydreaming, the birthplace of goals and creativity, is being sacrificed for short-form content. We’re so busy consuming that we forget how to imagine.

Escaping the Trap: Strategies that Actually Work

Here’s where the episode turns hopeful.

Andrea and Alberto emphasize that the answer isn’t to reject technology entirely—it’s to use it intentionally. Here are some of their top strategies:

1. Mindfulness & Intentionality – Recognize when, how, and why you’re using your devices. Awareness is the first step to change.
2. Use Tools for Good – Leverage apps like Headspace or Calm to guide meditation, or listen to podcasts (ahem, like this one!) that help you grow.
3. Timebox Your Screen Use – Use techniques like the Pomodoro Method (25 mins work, 5 mins break) to balance productivity and dopamine treats.
4. Environment Design – Keep your phone in a different room before bed. Use screen time as a reward—not a default.
5. Switch When You Scroll – If you’re going to watch content, choose something tied to action—like a recipe you’ll try or a workout you’ll do. Make it active, not passive.

Andrea also shares a fascinating observation: her clients who are former addicts are often the best at resisting internet addiction. Why? Because they recognize the trap and treat it with the same seriousness they would any substance dependency.

Final Thoughts: Stop Scrolling, Start Living

This episode hits hard—but in the best way. It doesn’t shame or scold. Instead, it holds up a mirror and says, “Look. Do you like what you see?”

It challenges us to reclaim our time, our attention, and our agency—to be more human and less hamster wheel. As Alberto so perfectly puts it:

“We’re getting the dopamine hit—without the production. The train is stuck.”

If you’ve ever wondered where your time goes, why your motivation feels low, or how the heck to connect with your partner again—this episode isn’t just for you. It’s for all of us.

We’re all online. The question is—are we really there?

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