How Social Media is actually a Casino.

Summary

This script delves into the psychology behind social media design, revealing how apps like Instagram and TikTok use color psychology and 'recapture notifications' to re-engage users. It explains the role of dopamine in anticipation versus reward, and how variable intermittent rewards keep users hooked, drawing parallels to gambling. The script also discusses how social media algorithms manipulate content to elicit strong emotions, keeping users engaged. It concludes with recommendations for users to regain control over their social media usage and mentions a sponsored VPN service.

Takeaways

• 🔴 **Red Notifications**: Apps like Instagram and TikTok use red notification symbols to trigger quick responses, as red is associated with danger and immediate action.
• 🏖️ **Recapture Notifications**: Apps send notifications about unengaged content to re-engage users and reestablish app usage habits.
• 📊 **Attention Economy**: Social media platforms thrive on capturing attention to display targeted ads and generate revenue.
• 🧠 **Dopamine Misunderstanding**: Dopamine is often misunderstood as a reward for good things; it's actually more about the anticipation of rewards.
• 🎰 **Variable Intermittent Rewards**: The principle behind slot machines is used by social media to keep users engaged through unpredictable rewards.
• 📲 **Default Notification Sounds**: Apps like social media platforms use default notification sounds to blend in and create a sense of urgency to check them.
• 💡 **Anticipation of Rewards**: The anticipation of a reward, not the reward itself, is what drives dopamine production and user engagement.
• 🎯 **Gamification of Social Media**: Social media platforms gamify user experience to keep them hooked, similar to gambling mechanisms.
• 🛑 **Frictionless Design**: Social media apps are designed to eliminate friction to keep users in a continuous flow state, making it hard to leave.
• 🔄 **Infinite Scrolling**: Infinite scrolling and auto-playing videos are designed to keep users engaged without any natural stopping points.

Q & A

Why do social media apps like Instagram and TikTok use red notification symbols?

Red notification symbols are used because psychological studies have shown that people respond quicker to red than any other color, as it is associated with danger requiring immediate action.

What are 'recapture notifications' and how do they work?

Recapture notifications are designed to make users feel like they've missed out on a lot, prompting them to get back into the app quickly and reestablish the habit of regular use.

How does the attention economy relate to social media companies' business models?

The attention economy refers to the business model where the more attention a social media company can capture, the more targeted ads they can show, leading to more revenue.

What role does dopamine play in social media addiction?

Dopamine is often associated with the feeling of reward, but the video script suggests that the anticipation of a reward, rather than the reward itself, is a more significant driver of addictive behavior.

Why don't some apps like Slack use custom notification sounds?

Slack uses a unique notification sound to alert users to important work alerts. However, apps like social media platforms might not use custom sounds to blend in with other notifications, creating a sense of urgency to check every notification.

What is variable intermittent reward and how does it relate to social media?

Variable intermittent reward is a principle where rewards are given sporadically and unpredictably, which keeps users engaged and hooked. Social media platforms use this principle to keep users checking for potential rewards like likes or messages.

How do social media platforms use algorithms to keep users engaged?

Social media platforms use complex algorithms to decide what content to show users to keep their attention for as long as possible, often prioritizing content that evokes strong emotions like anger or disgust.

What is the connection between social media design and赌场 design?

Both social media platforms and casinos are designed to eliminate any stimuli that might prompt someone to make a choice outside of their intended activities, keeping users in a 'flow state' and discouraging them from leaving.

How does the infinite scroll feature contribute to social media addiction?

The infinite scroll feature, which was invented to improve search engine results, has been turned into a tool for social media platforms to keep users scrolling endlessly, reducing friction and encouraging prolonged use.

What steps can individuals take to reduce the manipulative effects of social media algorithms?

Individuals can disable non-essential notifications, turn off autoplay, use scheduled summaries for notifications, and reintroduce friction into their social media usage to regain control over their engagement with these platforms.

How does the video script relate to the sponsorship by Surfshark VPN?

The script discusses the manipulative nature of social media algorithms and how they exploit human psychology. Surfshark VPN is mentioned as a sponsor, and the script suggests that their VPN service offers a comprehensive solution for privacy and security, which is relevant to the theme of control and manipulation discussed in the video.

Outlines

00:00

🔴 The Psychology Behind Notification Colors

This paragraph discusses the psychological reasons behind the use of red in social media apps like Instagram and TikTok for notifications. It explains that red is associated with danger and prompts immediate action, which is why it's effective for capturing attention. The script also talks about 'recapture notifications' that make users feel like they've missed out, encouraging them to return to the app. The business model of social media companies relies on the 'attention economy,' where they aim to keep users engaged to show more targeted ads and make more money. The paragraph also touches on the misconception that social media addiction is solely due to dopamine release, when in fact it's more about the anticipation of rewards, as demonstrated by studies on monkeys and variable intermittent rewards.

05:01

🎰 The Slot Machine Effect in Social Media

Paragraph 2 draws a comparison between social media and slot machines, highlighting how both are designed to capture attention and keep users engaged. It explains that slot machines generate significant revenue by offering variable intermittent rewards, which create a strong urge to continue playing. Social media platforms use similar tactics, such as infinite scrolling and autoplay, to encourage users to spend more time on their platforms. The paragraph also discusses how modern slot machines and social media algorithms are designed to manipulate users' behavior, making it difficult for them to disengage. It points out that the new algorithm on a particular social media platform is designed to promote content that evokes strong negative emotions to keep users scrolling.

10:03

🛑 Taking Control Over Digital Manipulation

The final paragraph addresses the deliberate design choices made by social media platforms to keep users engaged and the ethical concerns raised by tech insiders. It discusses the role of infinite scrolling and how it was initially intended to improve search engine results but has since been co-opted for more manipulative purposes. The paragraph also mentions the efforts of individuals like Tristan Harris and Sean Parker, who have spoken out against the exploitative practices of big tech companies. The speaker recommends taking personal steps to regain control over one's digital experience, such as disabling unnecessary notifications and using features like scheduled summaries. The paragraph concludes with a sponsored mention of Surfshark VPN, emphasizing its affordability and features.

Keywords

💡Attention Economy

The 'Attention Economy' refers to a theoretical economic condition in which human attention is the scarce commodity. In the context of the video, it explains why social media companies are competing for users' attention to display more targeted ads and generate revenue. The video mentions that these companies thrive on the attention economy, aiming to capture and retain users' attention as much as possible.

💡Dopamine

Dopamine is a neurotransmitter associated with the brain's reward and pleasure centers. The video discusses dopamine in the context of social media addiction, suggesting that companies aim to stimulate dopamine production to make users feel good and thus keep them engaged. However, it also corrects the common misconception by explaining that dopamine is more about the anticipation of rewards rather than the rewards themselves.

💡Variable Intermittent Reward

This term describes a type of reward system where the response to an action is unpredictable, occurring at variable intervals. The video uses the example of slot machines to illustrate this concept, explaining how social media platforms use variable intermittent rewards to keep users engaged. The unpredictability of when a rewarding stimulus (like a 'like' or a comment) will occur keeps users checking their feeds.

💡Recapture Notifications

Recapture notifications are messages designed to re-engage users who have been inactive. The video describes how these notifications can make users feel like they've missed out on content, prompting them to return to the app. This is a strategy used by apps to maintain user engagement and re-establish the habit of regular app usage.

💡Psychological Triggers

Psychological triggers are stimuli that evoke a response based on learned associations. The video mentions how the color red in notifications is a deliberate choice because it is associated with urgency and danger, prompting quicker responses. This is an example of how apps use psychological triggers to increase user interaction.

💡Gamification

Gamification refers to the use of game design elements in non-game contexts. The video discusses how social media platforms employ gamification techniques, such as variable rewards and notifications, to make their platforms more engaging and addictive. This is likened to how slot machines operate, creating an environment where users are encouraged to keep 'playing' (scrolling, in this case).

💡Frictionless Experience

A frictionless experience is one that is designed to be as seamless and easy as possible, requiring minimal effort from the user. The video explains how social media apps aim to remove any friction that might cause a user to pause or leave, such as by auto-playing videos or making it easy to scroll through content. This design philosophy keeps users within the app for longer periods.

💡Infinite Scroll

Infinite scroll is a feature on many social media platforms that automatically loads new content as the user scrolls down, eliminating the need to click to a new page. The video mentions that the inventor of infinite scroll, AAR Ruskin, did not预见到它会被用来增加用户在平台上的停留时间，从而增加广告曝光率。

💡Doom Scrolling

Doom scrolling refers to the habit of endlessly scrolling through social media feeds, often leading to negative emotions due to the content consumed. The video uses this term to describe the addictive nature of social media scrolling, where users can lose track of time and become immersed in a potentially unhealthy behavior.

💡Mindless Flow State

The mindless flow state is a mental state where a person is so engrossed in an activity that they are unaware of their surroundings and the passage of time. The video compares this state to the experience of being on a social media platform, where the design encourages continuous scrolling and interaction, making it easy to enter a flow state that can be difficult to break.

💡Surfshark VPN

Surfshark VPN is mentioned in the video as a sponsor. It is a virtual private network service that allows users to browse the internet securely and privately. The video highlights Surfshark's features such as supporting unlimited devices, having a high number of server locations, and offering safety features, positioning it as a cost-effective solution for maintaining online privacy.

Highlights

Red color in notification symbols is used to grab attention quickly due to its association with danger and immediate action.

Recapturing notifications are designed to make you feel like you've missed out, prompting you to re-engage with the app.

Social media companies use psychological tricks to keep users engaged for longer periods to increase ad revenue.

Dopamine is not just about feeling good when good things happen; it's also about the anticipation of rewards.

Variable intermittent rewards, like those in slot machines, are used by social media to keep users hooked.

Social media platforms blend their notifications with default sounds to keep users guessing and engaged.

The anticipation of a reward, not the reward itself, is what drives dopamine levels and goal-oriented behavior.

Casinos and social media platforms are designed to eliminate stimuli that might prompt a user to make a choice to leave.

TikTok's interface is designed to eliminate friction and keep users scrolling indefinitely.

Social media algorithms are becoming more adept at promoting content that evokes strong emotions to keep users engaged.

The design of social media platforms aims to prevent users from even considering the option to leave.

Whistleblowers have exposed the deliberate nature of social media design to manipulate user behavior.

Recommendations for personal control include disabling non-essential notifications and using features like scheduled summaries.

The video discusses the dark side of social media design, comparing it to gambling and casinos to keep users addicted.

Modern slot machines and social media feeds use algorithms to subtly manipulate user experience and engagement.

The video concludes with a sponsored message about Surfshark VPN, emphasizing its features and value.

Transcripts

have you ever noticed how when you open

Instagram or Tik Tok all the

notification symbols are red even though

that's not a common color used within

the rest of those apps well that is a

very deliberate decision cuz

psychological Studies have shown that

people respond quicker to Red than any

other color because we associate it with

danger that requires immediate action

and like have you ever come back from a

holiday when you've not been using your

phone as much and all of a sudden you

have way more notifications from X than

usual often about stuff that you've

never even interacted with these are

called recapture no if ations designed

to make you feel like you've missed out

on so much that you need to get right

back into a new session as fast as

possible and reintroduce the habit of

using the app regularly like if you

don't use Facebook anymore but you still

have the app installed I bet this is

like 99% of your relationship with the

app it's a very similar trick to what

shopping websites use when you abandon

your basket halfway and unless you've

been very literally living under a rock

for the last few years you'll have

guessed why social media companies do

this stuff their entire business model

is the attention economy get more

attention they get to show more better

targeted ads they get more money but

here's the thing if you've seen one of

the thousands of videos all about social

media addiction they tend to boil it

down to dopamine they basically say that

in order to get this attention companies

have got to persistently make the user

feel good they've got to persistently

stimulate a user's production of

dopamine the reward chemical in their

brain but that is not the full story

like I mean for example you know how

some apps have unique notification

sounds and vibr ation patterns like

slack for instance clearly slack want

you to know when you have an important

work alert but then how come apps like X

don't use custom sounds and instead

resort to your phone's default

notification sound I'm getting there but

the point is the reality of what these

tech companies actually do to keep you

addicted is quite a lot deeper and to be

really Frank more Twisted than it first

seems the psychology is very much not oh

let's just make our app really good so

people can't stop using it so let's talk

about it and then how you can be one

step ahead so here's the thing with

dopamine the common perception is that

when good things happen your brain

releases dopamine you feel good but

dopamine isn't just triggered when good

things happen research conducted by Dr

Robert spolski a neuroscientist at

Stanford found that when monkeys were

taught that if they pulled a lever when

a light came on they would receive a

treat their dopamine levels actually

spiked more when the light came on than

when they actually received the treat

revealing that dopamine is in fact more

involved in the anticipation of a reward

and biologically this makes sense cuz

imagine if you only got that reward when

you succeed at something you'd never

learn how to do anything that you

couldn't immediately perfect on your

first try dopamine isn't there in our

brains to make our existences filled

with joy doine is there to drive goal

oriented behavior that makes us want to

aim for things and improve ourselves but

here's the real kicker when spolski

varied the experiment randomizing the

likelihood so that monkeys would only

receive the treat on average 50% of the

time when they pulled the lever their

dopamine levels skyrocketed to double

even though they were only receiving the

reward half the time this is called

variable intermittent reward and it's

one of the most fundamental principles

that social media devs use to keep you

hooked think about your own life have

you ever had a crush on someone and it

feels like you can't think of anything

except when you're going to get that

next text from them now let's say that

you're in this Zone and you hear a slack

work notification while you're waiting

your brain doesn't light up up because

you know it's not them well I guess now

in my case it actually could be because

rich is on our team but you get what I

mean but then let's say that you hear

your phone's default notification sound

your heart's going to start pumping

you'll immediately drop everything

you're doing all your priorities and

lunge for your phone only to find its

Twitter letting you know that your

friend tweeted a pick of their six out

of 10 Lune but do you see the point

social media doesn't addict You by

always giving you something good which

is the common perception it addicts You

by making you feel like there can be

something great that if you you just

keep checking those notifications and

keep scrolling just for that little bit

longer you might win the lottery and so

that's why many social media platforms

actually specifically choose to not have

their own unique notification sounds

it's to social media's advantage to have

their notifications blend in with each

other it's the same way that Milo always

makes the same noise for everything no

matter what the problem is which compels

me to always have to get up go to him

and find out in case it is something

serious he knows what he's doing and you

might be thinking of this this point hey

this concept reminds me of something oh

yeah it's called gambling and that's not

a coincidence now you know where else

you find variable intermittent rewards

in abundance slot machines slot machines

might not look like they have the

biggest Stakes I was in Vegas recently I

spent quite a while strolling around

casinos and it was fascinating because

while on the betting tables where people

were playing poker and blackjack the

minimum amount you could bet was between

$10 and $50 per turn depending on the

time of day on the slot machines you

could bet with as little as 5 cents and

yet slot machines still generate over

half of an average casino's Revenue how

well because they have been fine-tuned

for decades to be the perfect attention

traps just like social media their

profit is directly proportional to time

spent on device and just like social

media they've gotten very good at

maximizing that on a traditional slot

machine you pull a lever to spin and

just like the monkeys in spolsky's

experiment you're fed with a variable

intermittent reward you have no idea

when you're going to win big all you

know is that if that lever is pulled

enough times then eventually at some

point in the future it will pay off with

a large jackpot and so it makes it

really hard to walk away from even if

you might have to spend 10 times as much

as the jackpot amount to actually win it

now where do you notice that exact same

action and feeling oh yeah refreshing

your feed on a social platform there's

something more exciting and oh come on

this time for sure about pulling that

screen down to refresh than just

clicking a refresh button how often do

you find yourself just going for one

more spin I'm not going to lie to you

sometimes I do this action just for fun

because of how tactile and responsive

they've made the feeling of it and yes

that is not an accident either and SL

machines have only gotten better over

time at engineering your attention

nowadays they are so intelligent they

give people options of how to gamble to

give them the illusion of control which

makes them take bigger risks when people

face big losses and are ready to leave

the machines kick up and start teasing

them with very near misses making them

feel like they're working towards a goal

and they're now so close to getting it

and the machines are nowadays they're

also processing in real time new slot

machines are fitted with powerful chips

that can subtly manipulate the odds as

you play to keep the up and down

smoother to make sure you stay on the

device as long as possible trust me the

more you look into it the scarier it

gets but in the exact same way social

feeds are using the exact same type of

Highly secretive highly complex

algorithms to decide what content to

show you to keep your attention for as

long as possible and probably the worst

current offender of this is X ever since

Elon Musk bought the platform

researchers have found with what you and

I already see on our timelines every day

that the new algorithm is designed to

actively promote content that will make

you angry and disgusted and therefore

more likely to engage and keep scrolling

it's slowly deprioritizing what you came

on there to see in the first place and

prioritizing the sticky web that's going

to keep you on there for as long as

possible to the point where I mean

normal comment sections barely even

exist anymore when you click a public

post and scroll down you're essentially

just in yet another feed within the feed

but here is where it gets really dark

cuz it goes beyond the slot machines

casinos themselves are designed to

eliminate any and all stimuli that might

prompt someone to make a choice outside

of their games because if you can make a

choice then you can choose to leave like

just as an example almost all walkways

you find in a casino are gently curved

without right angles so that you can

remain in that mindless Flow State

instead of reaching a stopping point

where you might actually mentally check

in with yourself and decide that you

want to go this same logic is crucial to

social media design once you have a

user's attention you don't want them

deciding to leave so you might as well

stop them from even thinking about it

and to achieve that what every single

one of these social media platforms does

is eliminate any and all friction in the

experience to make the easiest thing to

do in any given moment to just keep

floating along a great example of this

is Tik tok's user interface the second

you enter the app a video is playing you

don't need to choose what to click on

the vertical video takes up most of your

screen automatically whereas usually to

full screen a video you'd have to either

consciously switch your phone to a

different orientation or click a fiddly

button in the corner all of the

important toggles for interacting with

the content and going deeper into the

app are at the bottom of the screen

right where most people's thumb would

naturally be so you don't need to choose

to dive deeper into the experience and

as you probably guessed the the only

action that is made less easy is leaving

like when you're on Android and you're

trying to use the back gesture you

actually have to swipe away once to

indicate that you want to leave and then

the app will actually show you a

completely different Tik Tok to try and

grab you again and then you have to

swipe away a second time to confirm it

and crucially you can scroll through

videos infinitely it will never end with

every single piece of content also autop

playing eliminating yet another Choice

which all leads to you guessed it Doom

scrolling which just like the curved

walkways in a casino provide you with no

natural point to stop and check in with

yourself and that's why we all end up in

these scrolling sessions where we

completely forget where we are who we're

with and the entire passage of time

until some sort of external trigger

comes into remind us now the thing that

really gets me about all of this is that

we know these are deliberate decisions

and we know this very well because there

are people out there blowing the whistle

on it like AAR Ruskin who actually

invented the infinite scroll in 2006 he

figured at the time that it would make

for better search engine results you

know clicking through to the next page

was just a little bit of friction that

he saw he could eliminate to smooth

things out but he didn't realize what it

would be turned into and now he's found

out Raskin has publicly apologized a

million times for inventing it and has

now gone completely the other way to

found the center for Humane technology

with ex Google ethicist Tristan Harris

who went from working at something

literally called the persuasive

technology lab when he studied at

Stanford to then working at Google

trying to to change them from the inside

only to quit when he realized he

couldn't you might have seen this guy

give testimony multiple times in US

Congress talking about what these big

tech companies do but also Shan Parker

the first president of Facebook has

publicly called Facebook's business

model a social validation feedback loop

exploiting a vulnerability in human

psychology and has himself admitted that

we understood this and we did it anyway

yikes so now that we understand the

beast from the inside it's not like the

companies are going to change their own

accord so what I would recommend is on a

personal level you take control take 20

minutes once to go through and disable

all notification types that don't

actually serve you which just exist to

prod you into mindlessly starting a new

session for a few minutes I promise you

you don't need to know every time a

friend comments on another friend's

Instagram pick that you haven't even

interacted with turn off autoplay

wherever possible and if you're on an

iPhone use the scheduled summary feature

which means you're not missing

notifications you're just saving them

all for later together and the key thing

is just reintroduce a little bit of that

friction back in yourself even just

pushing your most distracting social

media apps from your home screen to the

one page next to it is already enough to

reduce your unintentional usage time and

that's all I'm trying to save you from I

think there's loads of great things to

be entertained by and to learn from on

social media but I don't want you to

feel manipulated against your will by

hyper intelligent algorithms that

understand your psyche better than you

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