"Big Tobacco once looked unstoppable. It made billions by exploiting a quirk of human biology: our brains' craving for nicotine. With the help of advertising that cast cigarettes as glamorous, the industry hooked millions of people. By the 1960s, more than 40 percent of Americans smoked daily, and no amount of coughing or wheezing could slow the habit's growth. Then the spell broke. Science exposed the danger, lawsuits unearthed the manipulation, and public opinion flipped."
"Social media may be following a similar script. Its platforms have grown rich by exploiting another human trait - not a craving for nicotine but our ancient wiring for conflict and alarm. Evolution rewarded those who were alert to threats, and now we are drawn to outrage like moths to a flame. Like nicotine, rage triggers something we can't resist: dopamine. We are dopes for dopamine."
Big Tobacco built massive profits by exploiting nicotine cravings through glamorous advertising until science, lawsuits, and public opinion reversed its fortunes. Social media platforms have similarly profited by exploiting humans' ancient wiring for conflict and alarm; algorithms designed to maximize engagement amplify anger because rage increases attention and dopamine reward. The prioritization of rage produces engagement-driven content that fuels polarization and distorts perceptions of political opponents. Observable harms include wasted time, rising anxiety, loneliness, broken relationships, and a warped sense of reality. Before social media's rise, fewer than one in five partisans viewed the other side as a serious threat; that share has more than doubled.
Read at The Hill
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