- Algorithmic Feeds Tuned for Addiction: Behind the scenes, sophisticated AI algorithms curate each user’s feed to hold attention as long as possible. Rather than showing content chronologically, platforms personalize the feed using machine learning to maximize engagement — learning what hooks each person. This design is deliberate: “AI-driven social media algorithms are designed solely to capture our attention for profit… continuously tailoring feeds to individual preferences,” thereby maximizing screen time and deepening activation of the brain’s reward centers. By endlessly serving up auto-play videos or recommended posts that align with a user’s interests (or trigger emotion), the platform keeps the user in a continuous loop. Internal industry documents frankly admit these “continuous feeds… keep users on their platforms for as long as possible” to boost ad revenue. In essence, the newsfeed itself is engineered not as a neutral product, but as an addictive “scrolling feed that distracts users” and constantly resets our attention for the next reward
If you want to have a glimpse how an Internet without addictive design could look, an internet made for and made by people, have a look at https://geminiprotocol.net/ . It is radical, indeed - but sometimes, it is better to bite the bullet, and follow the maxim “it’s better to get unpleasant things over and done with”.
And one main difficulty with using the Gemini network is… well, it is not addictive. It rather needs a little discipline to use it and harvest the fruits of it. Just like reading a good book, or writing a real letter to a friend.
Great article. One of the best things i’ve done in recent years is delete the Facebook app from my phone. I’ve noticed how “boring” pixelfed is in comparison to Instagram, which is great, because it doesn’t suck my time away!
This quote really disgusted me:
Leaked internal presentations from Facebook (obtained by whistleblower Frances Haugen in 2021) revealed that the company knew its platform was causing measurable harm, especially to young users, yet downplayed these findings.
How irresponsible, but I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised, either.