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There aren’t that many comments on this article yet but most of the comments that are here are pretty shallow and dismissive. Unlike many posts, I read the ent

by efitz 4y ago

There aren’t that many comments on this article yet but most of the comments that are here are pretty shallow and dismissive. Unlike many posts, I read the entire article. I think the author does a reasonable job of describing how TikTok exploits human biology to increase “engagement”. They aren’t unique in this; Casinos have been doing this for decades; Zynga canonicalized this in games and social media has been lurching this way for over a decade. TikTok is difficult to disengage from. For some it’s easier than for others. It would be interesting to see statistics to gauge users’ various level of addictive/compulsive behavior in the app. Here’s a hypothetical question- should there be a limit on how addictive we allow something to become? We limit nicotine content in cigarettes; we ban or highly regulate many drugs. “Under the hood” the drugs we ban are affecting neural pathways; why should it matter if you’re ingesting a substance vs having similar effects via psychological manipulation? I don’t claim to have the right answer and in the USA attempts to limit the app will run up against free speech concerns. But I do think that TikTok is bad for humans and bad for society.

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silisili 4y ago
> should there be a limit on how addictive we allow something to become? Good question. IMO, yes. Drugs are often considered dangerous not only for what they do to users, but how users behave to get their next fix. If social media can ever get to heroin without the whole death thing, all that's left is the fix problem. A properly addicted person will not be able to hold a job, may have to resort to crime to pay for their data. A stretch, maybe? Or maybe it becomes like porn addictions where people need more extreme content for their fix. I'd say either are realistic and scary outcomes. If I had my way we'd ban smartphones. Yes, the same one I type this comment on. I'd give up this for everyone unplugging, and not being an idiot in public and a danger when driving. Small cost.
- skinnymuch 4y ago
  The way the world has enforced drugs as crime has been a massive massive failure. The worst thing we have done is be puritanical, judgemental, and ready to throw the book at drug crimes. Based off that we shouldn’t touch social media or smart phones or anything.

by efitz 4y ago

deleted 4y ago

[deleted]

silisili 4y ago

> should there be a limit on how addictive we allow something to become? Good question. IMO, yes. Drugs are often considered dangerous not only for what they do to users, but how users behave to get their next fix. If social media can ever get to heroin without the whole death thing, all that's left is the fix problem. A properly addicted person will not be able to hold a job, may have to resort to crime to pay for their data. A stretch, maybe? Or maybe it becomes like porn addictions where people need more extreme content for their fix. I'd say either are realistic and scary outcomes. If I had my way we'd ban smartphones. Yes, the same one I type this comment on. I'd give up this for everyone unplugging, and not being an idiot in public and a danger when driving. Small cost.

skinnymuch 4y ago
The way the world has enforced drugs as crime has been a massive massive failure. The worst thing we have done is be puritanical, judgemental, and ready to throw the book at drug crimes. Based off that we shouldn’t touch social media or smart phones or anything.