How Social Media Engineers Addiction (And How Tech Can Harness It For Good)
In two years, RiseGuide – the self-improvement platform I founded, which teaches adults essential soft skills through short, interactive lessons – has attracted over 850,000 users, traction fueled by the same mechanics that companies like Meta, Google, and TikTok have spent years perfecting.
Some of the smartest people in the world have worked hard developing digital engagement loops that tackle the brain’s evolutionary built-in reward system. Essentially, when you see an interesting short video, when your streak goes up, or when someone likes your comment, your brain releases dopamine. It feels good, and you’re hardwired to seek more of the “feel good stuff”, so you do it again. Likewise, when your friends share content that you have to log in to view or a pushy notification tells you what’s trending, it elicits a FOMO – your brain’s primal response to the fear of social exclusion.
These features have been designed...
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