Rajender Singh hopes his recent scientific success on the national stage will promote much-needed discussion about the widespread impacts of digital platforms.
Earlier this year, the education PhD candidate and critical policy researcher was named winner of the prestigious National Student Paper Competition (NSPC) for his policy paper ‘Hooked Online: A Call for Canadian Leadership in Addressing Internet Addiction’.
The award-winning article examines how the business models of leading internet companies are based on an attention economy, how this economy is transforming into an addiction economy, and how Canada can position itself at the forefront of tackling internet addiction, both at home and globally.
The NSPC is an annual competition that invites graduate students to submit policy papers that address current priorities and concerns of the federal government. The purpose of the competition is to introduce new thinkers and innovative ideas to the Canadian Public Service.
From all submitted papers, five will be selected as finalists. In the final step of the competition, all shortlisted authors present their work to a panel of senior public sector executives.
“Winning the NSPC is an incredible honor. It is not only a personal achievement, but also underlines the urgency of the critical problem of internet addiction. We are at a pivotal moment where policy can play a transformative role in tackling such challenges arising from the continued platformization of society,” said Singh.
“I am deeply grateful to Professor Melody Viczko for her guidance and encouragement throughout this journey. This recognition is as much a reflection of her belief in me as it is of my work.”
Viczko is Singh’s supervisor and professor in the academic research cluster Critical Policy, Equity and Leadership Studies at the Faculty of Education.
PhD candidate Rajender Singh and his supervisor, education professor Melody Viczko. (Andrew Graham/Western Education)
Singh credits Viczko for her guidance throughout the competition, from encouraging him to apply and providing insightful feedback on his design to organizing a specialized tasting panel of policy experts ahead of the finals.
Viczko said the NSPC is a great example of how the role of a mentor and supervisor can go beyond supporting the development of a dissertation.
In this scenario, the NSPC provided a great exercise in developing important research and knowledge mobilization skills, while also giving a student the opportunity to create impactful change, Viczko said.
“What do you do with that information if you are declared the winner? Think about your career in public policy. How can you use it for the kind of policy change you want to promote and lead?” she added.
“Rajender has been very proactive in seeking feedback at every stage of the competition, and this recognition confirms his exceptional ability to translate complex research into actionable policy recommendations that can have a real impact on society.”
Tackling internet addiction
Singh has long been interested in the way technology interacts with society to shape our daily lives, which prompted his decision to write about internet addiction for the NSPC.
“We see internet addiction all around us, and sometimes we even experience it in our own lives,” Singh said.
“A person doesn’t have to have a permanent internet addiction; it can occur in phases that last just a few days or a week, characterized by uncontrollable scrolling that often ends in regret.” – Rajender Singh, PhD candidate in education
Singh’s article argued that the “design practices of popular Internet companies are contributing to a silent pandemic of mass behavioral addiction within our communities.”
These practices are based on a concept known as the “attention economy,” which suggests that human attention, like land and food, is a commodity that can be monetized and traded like any other asset.
“Every glance, every scroll, every click represents a slice of the pie that is hotly sought after in the attention economy marketplace,” Singh wrote.
“The economic incentive is clear: the longer users remain addicted, the more revenue companies generate through advertising.”
A company’s ability to keep users hooked is aided by product features “like infinite scrolling on Facebook and Instagram, autoplay on YouTube, or ubiquitous push notifications.”
“The commercial success mediated by user engagement metrics translates into societal catastrophe as Internet addiction – characterized by excessive and uncontrolled online activity involving prolonged Internet use – becomes widespread,” he wrote.
“Emerging research from psychology and neuroscience conclusively shows that internet addiction has many similarities with other forms of addiction, such as drug or gambling addiction.”
Singh concludes his article with three recommendations:
- A national framework to recognize and address internet addiction
- Regulatory measures to hold internet companies accountable
- Global leadership through partnerships and legislation aimed at tackling internet addiction
While these recommendations are aimed at policymakers, Singh encouraged anyone with a mobile phone to complete a simple exercise to better understand the role digital technology plays in their lives.
He recommends estimating how much time you spend on the Internet or how many times you check your phone per day and then verifying it using statistics collected by your phone. For iPhone users, this can be found in the Screen Time section under Settings, while Android phones often have a similar Digital Wellbeing feature.
“I’ve done this exercise with friends and family members, and usually the actual usage was 40 to 50 percent higher than their initial estimate,” Singh said.
He will receive an award for his recognition at the annual conference of the Canadian Association for Graduate Studies in November 2024. He expressed his deep gratitude to the team at the Canadian School of Public Service, which organizes this competition annually and provides a platform for graduate students to develop their skills and further hone them during the process.
“I would encourage everyone to read the papers of all the finalists. They are incredibly strong and address a range of crucial policy issues,” Singh added.
Singh’s paper, along with those of other finalists, can be found on the website of the Canadian Association of Programs in Public Administration.
