We’re only beginning to understand the consequences of the Internet, social media, smart phones, etc… I am in no way a Luddite, but I think we’d be wise to take lessons learned from the emergence of cigarettes or processed foods and be wary of over consumption.

In 10 years, we’ve moved technology from a side dish on the table of life to the main course. Most people have Facebook accounts. Most people check social media several times a day. The smartphone is the last thing that many people look at before going to bed and the first thing they look at in the morning.

We can’t honestly believe that that level of adoption and rapid behavior change isn’t going to have an impact. If you suddenly started eating hot dogs every day or limiting yourself to horror movies as your only entertainment, it’s going to do something to you.

The lesson we learned from Phillip Morris and Frito-Lay is that when a company is pushing a highly addictive product at you, it’s hard to say no. And there is a real incentive for them to mask over the potential negative consequences of their product.

Be a savvy consumer. Be cautious of over consumption of anything. Practice moderation in all things.