A Doctor Prescribing Only Addictive Drugs
Imagine a doctor who could prescribe healthy treatments and refer patients to physiotherapists, but instead chooses to only give patients addictive painkillers because it keeps them coming back.
Social media algorithms work the same way—they could provide meaningful, educational, or positive content, but instead, they prioritize highly addictive, emotionally charged, or harmful material because it keeps users engaged.
I have been told that a very senior director level platform made the following comment:
“a negative comment gets a 12.7% engagement, a positive one gets 0.01%, which one do you think we prefer?”
Over time, just like painkiller addiction damages physical health and can in some cases lead to death (let’s not forget how Michael Jackson died), algorithm addiction erodes mental health, critical thinking, and real-world relationships.
Is this healthy for our future?
Photo by Towfiqu barbhuiya
