[stavros]

> IMO the "wrong" part is that most heroin users will tell you they fucking love heroin.

Yeah, the analogy wasn't great there but I think the point comes across. This is very timely for me, as I've just had a day spent playing chess (and losing) for hours.

I hate it, but I can't stop, because I get easily addicted to games. Luckily, I've wasted enough time on DotA to recognize the pattern, so I uninstalled the app, but by now I recognize the pattern of "this makes me feel terrible but I can't get enough of it".

Not everyone is, which is, I think, why social media (especially jealousy-fueled ones like Instagram) is so insidious. It's easy to mistake it for enjoyment.

[hn_throwaway_99]

Yep, I think the good analogy is someone on a diet. It's like the social media companies are saying "Hah, see, you say you don't want chocolate cheesecake, but you eat it every time I put it in front of you!!"

No shit sherlock, if I didn't love chocolate cheesecake I wouldn't need to be on a diet in the first place. But we need to acknowledge (as you put it, "It's easy to mistake it for enjoyment") the ability to say "Even though I am addicted to this thing, I know it's bad for me and I'm trying to stop".

Social media companies are trying to pretend (as they lie through their teeth) that there is no difference. They are modern-day drug pushers and I wish society would treat them as such. Instead of saying "Oh cool, you have that great job at Facebook" I wish we would give them the same amount of social respect we give to corner meth dealers.