Here's the little discussion I have in my head when this issue comes up. "Engagement isn't a good metric. Optimize for having a good community." "But engageme

Here's the little discussion I have in my head when this issue comes up. "Engagement isn't a good metric. Optimize for having a good community." "But engagement is easy to measure AND it means people are using the product. If people are choosing to use the product, doesn't that mean the product is giving them value?" "Not necessarily. Drugs like tobacco and heroin have fantastic 'engagement' but we consider them bad for us." "But how do you tell the difference between something that engages because it's good and something that engages because it's some kind of drug?" "I guess one important signal would be when people know something is bad for them but they're doing it anyway?" "Is that the case for social media? Do people feel addicted - feel that it's bad for them but they can't stop?" I think we've heard a lot of anecdata on this last question, but I can't recall seeing any big survey on it. EDIT: according to this, people will pay to have their social media restricted: https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2021/07/19/social-media-addiction-social-science/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2021/07/19/social-med...