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> An ugly problem with an attention economy is that you are rewarded for seeming useful and interesting, but once the attention has been given, there is no inc

> An ugly problem with an attention economy is that you are rewarded for seeming useful and interesting, but once the attention has been given, there is no incentive to actually deliver > To be fair, most web users are happy with the arrangement - they get an endless feed of free tiny doses of dopamine while they avoid the real responsibilities of life. I'd argue it's mostly the latter. Most creators produce content to make money, catering to demand. Ancient Aliens BS, TikTok reaction videos, blatant staged animal rescues, celebrity drama... this is what the general populace regards as interesting and useful. These are all genuinely popular and sought-after content. It is a dopamine trap. People want to feel good knowing something special, feel a shared emotional bond, feel the world has good, or that they are almost a socialite... and they'll fight tooth and nail if that perception is challenged.

thrwwyunpopular 3y ago
The harsh reality is that any conversation about what "people" want needs to factor in the fact that half of "the people" are dumber, more simpler-minded than the average person. No, you and I don't want to look at staged animal rescues or celebrity drama... but if the average person does, then so does at least 50% of the population. We're in the minority.
- TeMPOraL 3y ago
  Yes, but also let's cut people some slack: most people on either side of IQ 100 are spending all their energy at work, and between the job, commute, preparing food, spending time with kids, etc. they only have enough energy to crawl into bed and start the grind again the next day. With that in mind, the popularity of low-effort, high-dopamine entertainment doesn't necessarily imply that most people are simple-minded and just like this - the alternative hypothesis is that they just don't have time and energy for any more complex, richer ways of spending their time.
- tomjakubowski 3y ago
  some of the most brilliant people I know apparently get stuck in these dopamine loops too. not everything is a matter of intelligence
- feoren 3y ago
  > half of "the people" are dumber, more simpler-minded than the average person. Spiders Georg would like a word with you. And 99.99% of people have more than the average number of legs. And "the average person" is not something you can actually imagine. Think about "the average driver". You're actually thinking of an asshole driver, because asshole drivers are more salient. You don't notice "the average driver".
passion__desire 3y ago
I think we are missing one important point. Communities acclaimatize to ground realities, though it takes time. In my early experience of social media, people were criticized for not writing correct English. That is almost gone. Infact, now people realize that people belonging to different backgrounds can't be expected to perform in one particular context. There is reverse sort of meme, where non-natives are celebrated for writing perfect English. Similarly, there was debate on how to actually spell Quran or Koran etc. Now people understand the intention behind the words rather than actual grammer or spelling. It takes time for higher level of ideas to percolate social media.
- Exoristos 3y ago
  *grammar
  - passion__desire 3y ago
    There was a question asked on Quora by a child to her mother, "Why haven't we used all the short words and gave them meaning before using all the long words?" The simple answer, apart from historical origins of words is "error correction". It is far easier to error correct words which are far apart in spelling and audio space. relevant : https://youtu.be/AZX6awZq5Z0?t=3107 https://youtu.be/AZX6awZq5Z0?t=3107
darkclouds 3y ago
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thrwwyunpopular 3y ago

The harsh reality is that any conversation about what "people" want needs to factor in the fact that half of "the people" are dumber, more simpler-minded than the average person. No, you and I don't want to look at staged animal rescues or celebrity drama... but if the average person does, then so does at least 50% of the population. We're in the minority.

TeMPOraL 3y ago
Yes, but also let's cut people some slack: most people on either side of IQ 100 are spending all their energy at work, and between the job, commute, preparing food, spending time with kids, etc. they only have enough energy to crawl into bed and start the grind again the next day. With that in mind, the popularity of low-effort, high-dopamine entertainment doesn't necessarily imply that most people are simple-minded and just like this - the alternative hypothesis is that they just don't have time and energy for any more complex, richer ways of spending their time.
tomjakubowski 3y ago
some of the most brilliant people I know apparently get stuck in these dopamine loops too. not everything is a matter of intelligence
feoren 3y ago
> half of "the people" are dumber, more simpler-minded than the average person. Spiders Georg would like a word with you. And 99.99% of people have more than the average number of legs. And "the average person" is not something you can actually imagine. Think about "the average driver". You're actually thinking of an asshole driver, because asshole drivers are more salient. You don't notice "the average driver".

passion__desire 3y ago

I think we are missing one important point. Communities acclaimatize to ground realities, though it takes time. In my early experience of social media, people were criticized for not writing correct English. That is almost gone. Infact, now people realize that people belonging to different backgrounds can't be expected to perform in one particular context. There is reverse sort of meme, where non-natives are celebrated for writing perfect English. Similarly, there was debate on how to actually spell Quran or Koran etc. Now people understand the intention behind the words rather than actual grammer or spelling. It takes time for higher level of ideas to percolate social media.

Exoristos 3y ago
*grammar
- passion__desire 3y ago
  There was a question asked on Quora by a child to her mother, "Why haven't we used all the short words and gave them meaning before using all the long words?" The simple answer, apart from historical origins of words is "error correction". It is far easier to error correct words which are far apart in spelling and audio space. relevant : https://youtu.be/AZX6awZq5Z0?t=3107 https://youtu.be/AZX6awZq5Z0?t=3107

darkclouds 3y ago

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