eli5: Why is social media so addicting?
In: 5
We live in an attention economy. Social media companies spend a lot of money researching how to make their product rewarding for our human brains without thinking of the consequences to our mental health. Notifications, likes, etc trigger a dopamine rush that is as addictive as a slot machine. They also use RF Skinner’s research to manipulate behavior. He is considered the Father of ABA Therapy, which is a controversial therapy for autistic people.
I read a book years ago called Hooked by Nir Eyal which was scary on how callous it was in laying out a blueprint for creating habit-forming digital products. BTW after that, he wrote a book on how not to be distracted by habit-forming products. smh
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