i-Dosing is the new gateway drug.  The trend is a supposedly “legal” and “safe” way to alter one’s consciousness.  These “digital drugs” use “binaural, or two-toned, technology to alter your brain waves and mental state,” producing a “state of ecstasy” for the user.  i-Dosers listen to these atonal tracks while sitting motionless with headphones on.

It may sound benign, but parents, educators and law officials are worried that i-Dosing could be addictive, harmful, and a gateway “drug” to other illegal substances.

i-Dosing tracks like “Gate of Hades” can be found on YouTube and give listeners a free taste for i-Dosing. According to Wired.com, “those who want to get addicted to the ‘drugs’ can purchase tracks that will purportedly bring about the same effects of marijuana, cocaine, opium and peyote. While street drugs rarely come with instruction manuals, potential digital drug users are advised to buy a 40-page guide so that they learn how to properly get high on MP3s.”

As we delve deeper into the inner-workings of the brain, we are uncovering more and more as it relates to addiction.  This emerging society of addiction will also have numerous consequences for the workforce.  Productivity could be greatly affected as people get sidetracked into more appealing pursuits, young unemployed people could become more alienated from the mainstream economy, and the marketing skills needed in organizations will change from the traditional to the more sociopsychological realm.   This is just the tip of the iceberg.