[mjamesaustin]

Does an addict "like" the thing they are addicted to? Or have the chemical responses in their brain been manipulated to the advantage of the person selling the addiction?

Recommendation media is the perfection of a system that uses our dopamine response to control the behavior of those viewing it. At some point, I think we can agree that this isn't good for those consuming the content, especially as research shows that increased consumption decreases feelings of happiness and increases loneliness.

[AndrewKemendo]

There's a middle period in addiction where you still get novel enjoyment from the thing you're doing, but finally realize it's bad for you. It seems to be around that time when people choose a path - either quitting that thing or leaning into it, consequences be damned.

So yes they still like it, but the ratio between enjoyment and suffering starts to invert such that it's beyond the point of diminishing returns. Beyond that point you are mentally or physically dependent, and it starts to become simply avoiding the withdrawls. The addictive behavior becomes the new normal even if it's totally destructive.

This is why addiction is so hard

Note here: most people are thinking about intoxicants when reading the above, but it's equally true for anything in unhealthy amounts (food, games, running, collecting stamps etc...)

[pixl97]

Addiction becomes more problematic when 'everyone is doing it', as you say with food/games, these are things everywhere in society and are hard to get away from. I'd say it's just as difficult to get away from social media since there is no general stigma that it is bad.

[pvarangot]

> It seems to be around that time when people choose a path - either quitting that thing or leaning into it, consequences be damned.

It's not that simple. You can fool yourself into thinking there's no consequences like "being on social media 12 hours per day is completely normal, I know a lot of productive people that do it", and then lean into it more. There's also the chasing the dragon thing "maybe Trump will kill himself and if I make the first most upvoted Reddit comment I may become an online celebrity", in which every time you do something it feels like a novel thing because you are waiting for the time you actually get the dragon.

[jkkramer]

A rule of thumb I sometimes use to assess products, including ones I've built:

Looking back at the last year, are you (or your users) happy with the time spent using the product? Do you/they regret it?

Juicing short-term engagement can be effective for startups, but it isn't everything, and doesn't necessarily lead to lasting value.