Yes they are. Next time you're in a public place, look at all the people surfing on their phone. They're going after the immediate dopamine hit that you get f

Yes they are. Next time you're in a public place, look at all the people surfing on their phone. They're going after the immediate dopamine hit that you get from little tiny updates of new information. [1] So, yes, many (most?) people actually do need it, or they will suffer withdrawal symptoms from the lack of dopamine. If you're a news channel without frequent updates, then you get lost in the dust, apparently. Interestingly (from my perspective at least), it seems that the info doesn't even have to be correct, but just what I call "gap-filler" (think of all the talking heads who speculate on things endlessly before the facts start to come in), and you can still make money - you just have to have information (no matter how irrelevant it is). To me it surely looks like a lost cause unless we can start to wake up out of this trance. Where's Wesley Crusher when we need him? [2] [1] https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2012/07/exploiting-the-neuroscience-of-internet-addiction/259820/ https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2012/07/exploitin... [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Game_(Star_Trek:_The_Next_Generation) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Game_(Star_Trek:_The_Next_...