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Meta (née Facebook) hired addiction medicine specialists to work on their platform engagement. It wasn't to make teens use their platforms less.
by bandrami 2mo ago
Meta (née Facebook) hired addiction medicine specialists to work on their platform engagement. It wasn't to make teens use their platforms less.
- aprilthird2021 2mo agoBut, to be fair, many companies hire organizational psychologists and other such people to make their products addictive and to understand exactly how to make the most money on you and get the most time from you. Even the rewards program at the grocery store near you is tailored in such a way to maximally please you and keep you shopping there
- intended 2mo agoMany companies got regulated to hell and back, as a result. There are no meth companies, the cigarette industry is regulated as far as we can take it, opiates and medication is regulated with punitive damages levied (once evidence passes a threshold). Gambling is highly regulated (and prediction markets will be as well, eventually) I don’t remember off the top of my head, but I believe even reward programs will have regulations surrounding them. Above all else: What we did with social media, lootboxes and phones, was unprecedented. The safety people brought up the issues in the firms, and the final decision that had to be taken was to ensure shareholder returns.
- inigyou 2mo agoBy the way there USED to be meth companies, it wasn't even prescription medicine, it was over-the-counter.
- aprilthird2021 2mo agoYes, but the social media companies WANT regulation. The absence of it creates a no-win situation where self-regulating cedes grounds to your less scrupulous competitors and not regulating leaves you open to head scratcher lawsuits like this which only apply to your industry and not other industries doing the same thing