Technology

It’s a human problem. It’s designed to be addictive and exploit the mechanics of the human brain.

What is "it" exactly? Scrolling is not "it".

some people are more resistant to it, most are not because it’s just how we’re wired.

Can't argue with most people are stupid. But this is where capitalism lands us. What is a company that relies on engagement and advertising supposed to do? All entertainment is this way, all ads are this way. It is bizarre to even try and mitigate this without going to the underlying problem: stupid, vulnerable, disadvantaged, or uneducated people. And parents that don't seem to understand you can't just let your kids do anything they want.

We have known for years that video causes people to turn off critical thinking, become passive, and do nothing but more watching. Scrolling or not. This argument has been made over and over during the televisions hey day.

Now I am going to say the problem, as a society, appears to be a little different. We know that the lower your income, the more time spent watching these videos. We know that the lower the education the same is true. Compulsive and problematic use is often correlated with disadvantage or inequality. Which of course it does, addiction often does. Not always of course, but there is a strong correlation.

And even in the endless scrolling debate they mention the "addiction by design" targets those vulnerable to it.

So, I would say I am less interested in regulating scrolling, and more interested in creating more third spaces, more economic opportunity, less stress, etc. Some way to educate people against manipulation, maybe even treatment.

But as always the government is not about curating a better society, its about wealth and control.