Impact of Media Engagement on Brain, Mental Health, and Attention

Media Engagement and Brain
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Media Engagement and Brain
The impact of media on the brain is a critical issue that many psychologists tend to research. Media is a central framework in the contemporary psychological world due to the consistent advancement of human technology. In the past decade, a vast population has transformed to digital technology for different activities such as information research and entertainment (Firth et al., 2019). The digitalization of most activities promotes the constant engagement of many individuals in different types of media such as social media and print media. Various innovations are also present, including smartphones making online access easy and cheap. However, the impact of constant media engagement and cognitive function is an area most researchers are interested in understanding and justifying. The brain is malleable to environmental stimuli and demands; therefore, media influences it. Different media engagement activities change the human brain's architecture and growth. The paper probes the impact of media engagement on the brain.
Impact of Media Engagement on Brain
There are different findings on media's impacts on the brain. According to Firth et al. (2019), media influence the brain due to diversified neuroplastic mechanisms from different biological factors. Media is an external stimulus and thus changes the function and the structure of the brain. Cognitive functioning requires constant engagement due to the widening of the brain. The key impacts of media engagement on the brain include gaining and sustaining attention, memory issues, and mental problems.
Media Engagement Promotes Mental Health Disorders
Media engagement is critical for mental health since it may lead to specific mental health disorders. It is essential to note that media engagement is based on brain stimulation. Therefore, whenever the stimulation is too much, it adversely impacts mental growth and health. The primary effect of media engagement is phantom vibration syndrome, leading to memory lapse or technology fallout. Pareek (2017) found that up to 27% to 89% of people using media gadgets, especially mobile phones, experiences phantom vibration syndrome. It is a disorder whereby one falsely believes their phones or media gadgets are vibrating. It is a tactile hallucination that adversely impacts one's mental capacity. Most people majorly experience the syndrome while watching the television or any activity involving noise.
Theoretically, phantom vibration syndrome results from destabilized neurons which affect the personality characteristics and correlate to neuroticism. Phantom syndrome biologically occurs from the interaction of different biological and psychological factors. The interactions promote differences in the brain circuit, leading to wrong perceptions of vibration (Rosenberger, 2015). It reduces the connection between ACC and the left Amygdala, which further stimulates the body during false vibrations. Based on the theoretical basis, the process depends on the anxiety–eliciting stimuli. Additionally, the syndrome results from the effects on the HPA-axis, which affects one's mode and perception of a normal phone vibration or any media engag...