By: Mykel G. Larson

Mykel G. Larson — Wed, 26 Jul 2023 11:01:14 +0000

I certainly agree with all of this. And, I am not so much a contrarian, but a realist. That being said, while this is all logical and cogent from a truly humanistic point of view, I have to wonder what it will really take to reign in the beast known as surveillance capitalism because the strategy to promote continuous consumption of this content is similar to hosting Gladiator fights during the Roman Empire: keep them distracted by satiating preferences. Just like video games and gambling, these social media providers intentionally create addiction loops via rates of reinforcement, using color, sound, and flashy animations to command attention so that it is that much harder to “pull away.” Thumos and Epithumia are all messed up in these digital wastelands.

There are also few consequences for bad behavior online, as it provides a framework to behave with impunity. All of these social media providers operate on primary processes (anger, lust, pride), while it is the secondary processes that keep society from collapsing inwards on itself. Just as the frontal lobe is responsible for emotional regulation, these sites effectively put the frontal lobe to sleep so it can be compromised. And for what? Money.

This is why I say preferences matter in the end, and it’s not something that can be regulated or enforced by policy and rule enforcement. It’s pretty obvious if one wants the wrong things from life, life will either be difficult or create externalities so severe via network effects that it is difficult for everyone else with no recourse except to retreat from the world. The latter is what we’re embroiled in collectively as a society.

I can’t say I have any answers that make sense to intervene from on high, honestly. I suppose I am commiserating a bit here and am hoping wisdom will prevail in the end.

Comments on: Alone in a sea of marshmallows

By: Mykel G. Larson