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Decline in teen drug use continues, surprising experts

(arstechnica.com)
372 points pseudolus | 5 comments | 17 Dec 24 23:44 UTC | HN request time: 2.858s | source
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vouaobrasil ◴[20 Dec 24 19:19 UTC] No.42474017[source]▶
I wonder if the new drug of choice is actually technology. In some ways I think that the addiction to technology has some similar mellowing effects as drugs. Some research indicates that smartphone addiction is also related to low self-esteem and avoidant attachment [1] and that smartphones can become an object of attachment [2]. The replacement of drugs by technology is not surprising as it significantly strengthens technological development especially as it is already well past the point of diminishing returns for improving every day life.

1. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S07475...

2. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S07475...

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achairapart ◴[20 Dec 24 20:12 UTC] No.42474552[source]▶
Suddenly I remember this movie from the 90s where people drugged themself with some kind of minidisc. “Strange Days”, maybe? Anyhow, I always found the plot weird, but maybe they actually were onto something…
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genezeta ◴[20 Dec 24 20:26 UTC] No.42474684[source]▶
The discs had -in the movie- the memories of another person, and you would experience that memory and sensations as if you were living it. So, e.g. someone would record themselves doing something risky and you would get the adrenaline rush from watching it.

So... Maybe in some way one could argue that social media gives some sort of connection were you get some feelings from what others are doing/showing. I mean, technologically it's quite a leap, but in a conceptual way... it's still a bit of a leap but maybe not that big.

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twiceaday ◴[20 Dec 24 22:03 UTC] No.42475519[source]▶
Sounds like Brain Dances (BDs) from Cyberpunk 2077.
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ahartmetz ◴[21 Dec 24 00:27 UTC] No.42476497[source]▶
Simstim from Neuromancer (released in 1984) is the first mention of such a thing that I know of.
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1. atombender ◴[21 Dec 24 10:40 UTC] No.42478843[source]▶
Brainstorm (1983) did it before Neuromancer. The movie is about a device that records and replays sensory and emotional experiences, and a central plot point is that it records the dying moments of a character.
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2. bregma ◴[21 Dec 24 11:59 UTC] No.42479168[source]▶
I thought the central point was the porn played on a loop. Maybe I was distracted and missed the real plot. Also maybe mixed up by the fact that one of the principle actors died in real life while the movie was being made.
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3. Fluorescence ◴[21 Dec 24 15:25 UTC] No.42480164[source]▶
The central point was like Lawnmower Man, the military / government were going to misuse the tech for evil purposes.

The porn and the vicarious near-death-experience were just plot points.

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4. atombender ◴[21 Dec 24 15:58 UTC] No.42480371[source]▶
The porn thing showed that the device could be harmful to the viewer. This adds another dimension of risk to the later scenes where the Walker character is experiencing the death tape.

The actor was Natalie Wood, and the event is shrouded in mystery about how she died. However, the character who dies in the movie is played by Louise Fletcher.

5. atombender ◴[22 Dec 24 12:51 UTC] No.42486012{3}[source]▶
The military stuff is a McGuffin-type subplot. The real plot is the main character's obsession with seeing Lillian's vision of the afterlife.

The author of the screenplay, Bruce Joel Rubin, is a self-described spiritual teacher, and "transitional journeys" is kind of his thing. His three most well-known films (Brainstorm, Ghost, and Jacob's Ladder) are all about characters experiencing the afterlife in some way.