Rajender Singh, a PhD candidate in the Faculty of Education, wrote the contest-winning policy paper, "Hooked Online: A Call for Canadian Leadership in Addressing Internet Addiction." (Submitted)
Rajender Singh hopes his recent scholarly success on the national stage will promote much-needed discussion about the pervasive impacts of digital platforms.
Earlier this year, the education PhD candidate and critical policy researcher was named the 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 paper explores how the business models of leading internet companies are based on an attention economy, how this economy transforms into an addiction economy and how Canada can position itself at the forefront of addressing internet addiction both at home and globally.
The NSPC is an annual competition that invites graduate students to submit policy papers aligned with the current priorities and concerns of the federal government. The goal of the competition is to introduce new thinkers and innovative ideas to the Canadian public service.
Out of all papers submitted, five are selected as finalists. The final step of the competition sees all shortlisted authors present their work before a panel of senior public service executives.
"Winning the NSPC is an incredible honor. It is not just a personal achievement but also underscores the urgency of the critical issue of internet addiction. We are at a pivotal moment where policy can play a transformative role in addressing such challenges stemming from the ongoing 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 a professor in the Faculty of Education's Critical Policy, Equity and Leadership Studies academic research cluster.
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 draft to organizing a specialized mock panel with policy experts ahead of the finals.
Viczko said the NSPC is a great example of how a mentor and supervisor's role can extend beyond providing support for the development of a thesis.
In this scenario, the NSPC offered a great exercise in developing key research and knowledge mobilization skills, while also granting a student the chance to create impactful change, according to Viczko.
"When you get announced as the winner, what do you do with that information? Thinking about your career in public policy work. How do you leverage this into the kind of policy change you want to foster and lead?" she added.
"Rajender has been very proactive in seeking feedback at every stage of the competition, and this recognition affirms his exceptional ability to translate complex research into actionable policy recommendations that can have a real impact on society."
Addressing internet addiction
Singh has long been interested in how technology interacts with society to shape our daily lives, which fuelled his decision to write about internet addiction for the NSPC.
"We see internet addiction around us, and sometimes we even experience it in our own lives," Singh said.
"Someone doesn't need to have a permanent internet addiction; it can occur in phases that last just a few days or a week, marked by uncontrollable scrolling that often ends in regret." - Rajender Singh, PhD candidate in education
Singh's paper argued the "design practices of popular internet companies are contributing to a silent pandemic of mass behavior addiction within our communities."
These practices are based on a concept known as the "attention economy," which suggests that much like land and food, human attention 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 fiercely sought after in the marketplace of the attention economy," Singh wrote.
"The economic incentive is clear - the longer users stay hooked, the more revenue companies generate through advertising."
A company's ability to keep users hooked, , is aided by product features "such as infinite scroll on Facebook and Instagram, auto-play on YouTube, or ubiquitous push notifications."
"The commercial success mediated through user engagement metrics translates into societal catastrophe as internet addiction' - characterized by excessive and uncontrolled online activity with prolonged internet use - becomes widespread," he wrote.
"Emerging research from psychology and neuroscience conclusively establishes that internet addiction shares many similarities with other forms of addiction, such as drug or gambling addiction."
Singh concludes his paper by issuing three recommendations:
- A national framework to recognize and address internet addiction
- Regulatory measures to hold internet companies accountable
- Global leadership through partnerships and legislations aimed at tackling internet addiction
While those recommendations are aimed at policy makers, Singh encouraged anyone with a cellphone to perform 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 often you check your phone in a day and then verifying it using statistics gathered 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 per cent higher than their initial estimate," Singh said.
He will receive an award for his recognition at the Canadian Association for Graduate Studies annual conference in November 2024. He expressed deep gratitude to the team at Canadian School of Public Service, who organize this competition annually and provide a platform for graduate students to showcase their skills and further hone them through the process.
"I would encourage everyone to read papers by 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 Canadian Association of Programs in Public Administration's website.
