Dr. David Greenfield on Internet Addiction

Mo Lotman speaks with psychiatrist, professor, and author David Greenfield, founder of the Center for Internet and Technology Addiction. Dr. Greenfield was one of the first medical professionals to recognize and study the addictive qualities of the Internet. Twenty-five years later his societal diagnosis has gone from outlier to mainstream. He explains what we know, what it means, and what can be done.

This podcast was originally recorded pre-COVID, but the topics covered dovetail nicely with the work on how technology hacks our dopamine reward system of Dr. Anna Lembke. Her book, Dopamine Nation, is a great follow-on to this interview with Dr. Greenfield. Many of you will have seen Lembke in the documentary “The Social Dilemma” discussing the addictive nature of social media.