RISK OR REWARD?

The Impact of Technology on Treatment, Research and Responsible Gaming

October 2-4, 2011, Las Vegas

by Haner Hernandez, PhD, CADACII, LADCI, Deputy Director, the Massachusetts Council on Compulsive Gambling

I had the pleasure of representing the Massachusetts Council on Compulsive Gambling at the NCRG conference in Las Vegas.  I must say that while I have been to Las Vegas (always for conferences) in the past, I am always struck by slot machines at the airport.  However, this was the first time I went to Las Vegas for a problem gambling conference and the experience made me a little more reflective and observant of human behavior and the use of technologies in gambling.

At the conference I attended many workshops and presentations with a focus on problem/compulsive/disordered gambling and technologies. I was really impressed with a workshop entitled, “¡Brain: Surviving the Technological Alteration of the Modern Brain” presented by Dr. Gary Small, MD.  Dr. Small began the session by asking all in the room to turn off our smart phones. He noticed that several people turned them off; while others refused (he asked us to notice what we felt and said we would come back to the exercise).  As I sat there with my phone turned off, I thought: what if someone calls? What if I need my email? What if some sends me an important text? It was hard to focus with my phone off (ironic!). Nevertheless, I decided to keep it off and participate in the exercise.

Dr. Small then continued by talking about the differences between “digital natives” and “digital migrants.”  There are a large group of young people that have grown up with technology and these are considered the digital natives.  Dr. Small said that their brains are still developing, are very sensitive, and are most exposed to technologies.  Moreover, we don’t know what the impact of the exposure will be into the future. What we do know is that many young people are exhibiting difficulties with social interaction, particularly face-to-face communication. Not to mention that family communication and interaction dynamics have been profoundly changed by these technologies.  Young people also report the ability to multi-task and this behavior has also created some problems and challenges for them and society in general.  The fact remains that technologies are ever evolving and humans adopt and evolve with them (or are we changed by them?). 

I fall into the category of digital migrants because I didn’t grow up with access to the technologies we have today (smart phones, tablets, video games, personal computers, etc.). I have been using computers, cell phones and other technologies for a long time, but I fondly remember a time when I didn’t have to worry about so many gadgets taking over my life.  Now go back and consider my questions regarding the exercise proposed by Dr. Small (turn off your phone).  It was instantly obvious that I too have been impacted by the technologies.  These days I can’t even leave the house without my smart phone and laptop computer.  And, I no longer have a landline; I cannot remember phone numbers; I have access to all sorts of data; I rarely get lost; I regularly keep in touch with friends and family; and I don’t wear a watch.  And these just are a few ways that technologies have changed me.

Dr. Small and others at the conference also talked about the use of technologies for gambling, their current impacts and what we have to look forward to.  More and more there are many opportunities to gamble and the technologies have facilitated these behaviors. The technologies include slot machines, video games, personal computers, smart phones, tablets, and others.  Hence, we are seeing more youth and adults with Internet Addiction Disorder, problem gambling disorders, and mental health problems. At the same time these individuals and their families have very little understanding about how the technologies have enabled the behavior and contributed to their problems.  For example, according to the New York Times, 97% of teens play video games and many spend more time playing than doing homework or reading.  Among other things, this phenomenon has also contributed to the growing and alarming problem with childhood obesity in the United States. 

All that said, technologies have many great qualities that enable us to be “more efficient” and “more connected” to others.  In other words, technologies are not bad; we just have to question and understand how we use them and how they impact us.  From my own public health perspective and experience I know that technologies can be very useful in supporting prevention, intervention, treatment, and recovery support.  Dr. Small talked about the use of technologies to help youth read, write, perform complex mathematical exercises, while making it fun and interactive.  Others talked about how technologies are helping prevent gambling problems, while some folks with gambling disorders are engaging in recovery and recovery support. That said, those of us in the problem gambling field have a great deal to learn about how technologies are impacting problem gambling and how we can use them to advance our work.  As with every research conference, we were left with an understanding that more research is needed to understand the impact of technologies on digital natives and digital migrants. Moreover, that all of us have a role to play in this research endeavor.

At one point in the workshop we were asked to turn our phones on and think about what we experienced. I immediately checked my voice mail, text, and emails!  “I felt relieved” and “back in control.”  I didn’t turn my phone back off until I was at the airport and on the plane.  As I walked by the slot machines at the airport I thought, “Control is only an illusion!!!”