Hi, My Name is Benji and I’m a Daily Active User
“Social” Technology Through the Lens of Addiction
I’ve been without any social media account since October 12, 2019, and have continued to withdraw from the firehose of algorithmic content, most significantly over the last year after buying a Light Phone. My struggles with alcohol thankfully ended sixteen years ago, and I’m confident that my freedom from “social” technologies will be as profound a change for my well-being—and that of those around me—as was laying down the bottle. My years of getting sober and helping others find their sobriety, combined with building and working in technology, have blessed me with a unique lens. It’s from this vantage point that I want to offer some thoughts on the acceleration and scaling of addiction via technology.
From my child’s school friends, to any bus, plane, or subway ride, to all that’s been written on the subject, what I see, beyond the shiny new gadgets and devices, is addiction—pure and simple, but at an unimaginable scale. Addiction that diminishes my loved ones and fellow humans alike, with more reach and power than we could have ever imagined, accelerating and infecting, deceitful and brutal. What would have seemed unthinkable to say out loud just a few years ago is today uttered as a throwaway. I recently heard an eminent professor declare of social media platforms, almost as an afterthought, “…and they’re addicting our kids.” Some parents I know, fully aware of what this technology does to their children, agree with him, even as they themselves fulfill the need to scroll “for work” or “pleasure,” or just for the “lols.” On a surface level they live in denial regarding their own issues with social media, but deep down, as any addict knows, they are gravely affected by it as it makes their days more anxious and their lives progressively more stressful.
I read the work of friends and writers who spend hours analyzing posts by fellow addicts and influencers, mistaking them for existing as real life. What someone has constructed as an attentional object to attract either money, influence, dopamine, or a shallow connection, is now agonized over, used as a comparison to their own life, or critiqued as though it’s art with some meaning that can be decoded. To wrestle with what these dispatches mean is to miss the point.
Social media posts are here to serve the purposes of getting attention and increasing the engagement of Daily Active Users, all for the profit of a select few. This select few, primarily men, were naive in thinking that more communication is better than less, however they’ve now set earnestly to the task of extracting as much money as possible from our attention for the benefit of themselves and those like them.
What Does This Technology Want?
If you’re reading this on your phone, then you’re reading it on a machine that wants something. If you are on a social media app, it wants something. It wants you, as one of its Daily Active Users, to give it your attention. Its sole purpose is to take your attention and turn it into profit. Who is the ideal client for a drug dealer? A Daily Active User who can maintain a need for the drug, for an endless amount of time, and still keep up some kind of life. These machines and platforms are relentlessly monitoring you, your friends and family, and your daily active usage every way they can, driving to increase your time on the screen. With the acronyms DAU: Daily Active Users, MAU: Monthly Active Users, and LTV or Lifetime Value, our time sacrificed with the real world, with our loved ones, is reported on earnings calls, where any increase means more money for the people whose job it is to addict you. This technology is not about connection. This is addiction in its full and vicious bloom. Its seeds, perhaps once well-intentioned, are now long forsaken in search of dollars to be harvested at the core of our brains’ primed reward system. You know this. You know they know this. Just as every addict does. And every drug dealer knows how the game is played.
Politics Is Now Social Media Embodied
“Social Media Is Making Politics Impossible” - 10 Arguments for Deleting Your Social Media Accounts —Jaron Lanier
“Far from promoting pluralism, the democratization of media has paradoxically created an information environment conducive to authoritarian movements and cults of personality. A strong populist leader becomes a totem of group identity, a human meme whose image and words can be shared through social media.” - Superbloom —Nicholas Carr
I have said it quietly for some time but I want to say it out loud now: you cannot have democracy and social media. They are incompatible. It is not possible. Nothing can penetrate “social” technology’s current addictive incarnation, which is rapidly altering the face of our social and physical world, locking in terrifying outcomes that no rational person could ever want. Addiction to social media and algorithmic feeds means that people who would never have come to power in this progressive-leaning era, now can—because they are the economy of attention and engagement personified. They speak in and post for the medium, not the world. These individuals don’t care if the attention is negative or positive, it’s the attention that counts. The sole goal of the technology’s model is to steal as much attention as possible, and algorithms are thriving in their element. When you see a political personality talking in sound bites, acting outrageous, cruel, hurtful, or selfish, ask yourself this: am I looking at a person, or merely a walking, talking social media account, seemingly never offline? If attention is the aim, then the more outrageous or cruel the actions, the more the model is working, paying out the reward. Most humans are receiving their news and information from algorithms optimized for attention. There’s no hope of truth or decency making any headway against the addictive rage from which the minds behind this technology are happy to profit.
Cat Videos or Democracy?
If technology wants something from you, then it’s vital to ask yourself what you want from technology. Is the need for cat videos or baking recipes via addictive technology giving you what you want? Is it making you happy? And if so, can you live with the fact that it is making so many others unhappy? Can you sleep well knowing your messages and posts on the “social” platforms of so-called connection could cost us all democracy? I suspect there’s a tiny alarm bell ringing inside you. In your heart you know that these technologies hurt more than they help, and divide more than they unite.
Somewhere in you the desire to use these platforms is battling the knowledge that it’s bad to do so—bad for us all. As a person closing in on sixteen years since my last drink and six years since my last scroll or post, I’ve spent a lot of time in the orbit of addiction. On that October day in 2019, my tiny alarm bell rang too loud to be ignored. I finally deleted. In hindsight, that day now sits alongside my June sober day as one of the most important decisions I’ve made in my life.
Posting for Good
As far down the rabbit hole as we are, it’s been suggested that there’s no world in which this model won’t maintain its dominance, so to combat the negative we should arm ourselves with positive, calming messages of healing and hope. Pre-algorithm this may have been possible. In theory it might be a winning strategy. Just drinking in moderation or only on special occasions could spare us addicts the ravages of addiction. Perhaps a political party in 2028 could breakthrough by leading with “Hope” or “Change.” Sadly, it can’t be done. Algorithms engineered for attention mean that one side's positivity is simply antagonizing its opposition into a fight that feels existential. Whatever “good” content you post just creates more ammunition with which to empower its alternative. Pick up a book on this subject (list below) and you’ll see that many credible authors have called this for what it is. You will see that you cannot fix social media, because social media is the problem. You cannot fix an addiction to attention by giving it more of your attention.
They Know and They Don’t Care
Social media CEOs and those who work for them, know that their platforms are harming the world. Yet they do it anyway. What we know of the harm has been largely corroborated by their own internal data. These people willingly hurt us, hurt our children, and tank our democracy, without flinching, because it makes them money. And when you’re as rich as they are, you have options, and can choose to help or hurt at scale.
If you had infinite resources and you knew your everyday actions were harming people, what would you do? Wouldn’t you put every resource at your disposal to making things right? Helping your victims? Fixing the problem? Of course you would. The people making these apps and the workers who serve their vision know they are harming us. Yet they do it anyway.
Visit any drug addled area, or speak with anyone who’s battled addiction in their family, and you will see that it’s a force that gathers its own momentum, parasitically degrading all it comes into contact with. From the lone addict pulling their loved ones into the vortex of destruction, to the dealers, distributors and manufacturers—it never just affects the person using. On a planetary scale, this might just be breaking the world. The algorithms and our modern AI systems, for all of their good (and there is good in them), are fueling the power to addict. The logical end point of any system optimized for increased Daily Active Use is addiction.
You Can Be In the World Without Your Machines
Last year I bought a Light Phone. It makes calls and can send messages. It can do other things, but what it cannot do is its superpower. It does not make things easier, but adds just enough friction to life that it forces more connection—human connection with people, from loved ones to strangers. The internet can’t get to you on it, and you can’t get to the internet.
You have the power to delete your social media accounts, and you will be better for it. You cannot use them lightly or only in a positive way. I’ll just drink on weekends. Any usage at all, no matter how slight, hurts the world, hurts vulnerable kids, and makes politics—and therefore democracy—unworkable. You will be in tension with that knowledge. You will be giving power to the worst of our politics. As you scroll, you’re saying to the companies that addict: “I support you. I want you to influence our elections. I will give you the limited time I have on this earth so that you can run our government and its institutions, our civic and social life, into the ground for profit.
The most important choice you will make today is choosing where to give your attention. Attention (addiction) merchants will gladly take it and work tirelessly to extract more from you. Politics in service of attention cannot serve people, only itself. So we must delete. Deleting these platforms is the only message that will break through. We must help those we love to also delete, modeling for our children the life we want for them. To witness a child lost in the scroll, sitting with a device for hours on end, should shock and appall. This aberration from a healthy life, with the sickness that this economy is, should jar us into taking this meager step. Hold your finger down over the apps in question until they shake, then hit delete. It should be the CEOs themselves and their companies shaking—trembling with fear that we are wisening up. Just as they know they’re hurting us, they know they are nothing without us.
We must look at “social” technologies through the lens of addiction because they are now, at their core, engineered to be addictive. Addiction is sometimes referred to as an illness that convinces you that you don’t have it. But this doesn’t last. As the damage unfurls from within, addiction alters your very way of being in the world, until it becomes unmanageable. Both for the addict and those that share their space. To be free, we must delete. If enough of us do so, the platforms will be forced to change. When you separate yourself from social media you can see it for what it truly is. If you’re unable to look away from social media for a month, or even a week out of your life, then you know what you need to do.
Sixteen years ago I stood up in a room full of strangers and declared: my name is Benji, and I’m an alcoholic. A strange thing for me to do that probably saved my life. And in the framework of AA, I am still an alcoholic, even though I’ve been sober since that declaration. If I were to revisit my blog post from 2019 in which I said goodbye to social media, I’d like to call it: my name is Benji, and I’m a Daily Active User. And even though I currently abstain, I still am, and probably always will be, a Daily Active User.
From the work in progress: Daily Active User: “Social” Technology Through the Lens of Addiction
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) defines addiction under the diagnostic term Substance Use Disorder (SUD), which combines the DSM-IV categories of substance abuse and dependence into a single continuum. The diagnosis requires at least 2 of 11 criteria occurring within a 12-month period.
DSM-5 Criteria for Substance Use Disorder
(Summarized via Perplexity, full text here and below*)
A problematic pattern of substance use leading to clinically significant impairment or distress, manifested by ≥2 of the following:
1. Impaired Control
Taking the substance in larger amounts or over longer periods than intended
Persistent desire/unsuccessful efforts to reduce or control use
Excessive time spent obtaining, using, or recovering from the substance
Craving or intense urge to use the substance
2. Social Impairment
Failure to fulfill major obligations at work, school, or home
Continued use despite persistent social/interpersonal problems caused by the substance
Reduced/abandoned important social, occupational, or recreational activities
3. Risky Use
Recurrent use in physically hazardous situations (e.g., driving)
Continued use despite worsening physical/psychological problems
4. Pharmacological Criteria
Tolerance:
Need for increased amounts to achieve the desired effect
Reduced effect with continued use of the same amount
Withdrawal:
Experiencing characteristic withdrawal symptoms
Using the substance to relieve/avoid withdrawal
Severity Specifiers
Mild: 2–3 symptoms
Moderate: 4–5 symptoms
Severe: ≥6 symptoms (clinically termed addiction)
If you or someone you know is struggling with addiction, it's crucial to seek professional help. Addiction is a complex and serious condition that often requires specialized treatment and support. Professional addiction specialists and healthcare providers are equipped with the knowledge, experience, and resources to offer appropriate guidance and develop personalized treatment plans.Remember that reaching out for help is a sign of strength, not weakness. Many effective treatment options are available, including therapy, counseling, support groups, and medical interventions. These professionals can provide:
Comprehensive assessments to determine the extent of the addiction
Tailored treatment plans to address individual needs
Strategies for managing cravings and preventing relapse
Support for co-occurring mental health issues
Guidance for family members and loved ones
Don't hesitate to contact your healthcare provider, a local addiction treatment center, or a helpline for confidential assistance and information about available resources in your area. Taking the first step towards recovery can lead to significant improvements in your health, relationships, and overall quality of life.
Countless articles and books inspired this and the larger work at hand.
Here’s a list of some of the books:
Superbloom - Nicholas Carr
The Shallows - Nicholas Carr
Dopamine Nation - Anna Lembke
The Coming Wave - Mustafa Suleyman
Attention Span - Gloria Mark
How to Do Nothing - Jenny Odell
Saving Time - Jenny Odell
The Anxious Generation - Jonathan Haidt
Ways of Being - James Bridle
Why We’re Polarized - Ezra Klein
The Chaos Machine - Max Fisher
Meganets - David B. Auerbach
Thinking, Fast and Slow - Daniel Kahneman
What We Owe the Future - William MacAskill
The Internet Is Not What You Think It Is - Justin E. H. Smith
Superintelligence - Nick Bostrom
Radical Uncertainty - John Kay and Mervyn King
How to Watch TV News - Neil Postman
Building a Bridge to the 18th Century - Neil Postman
Amusing Ourselves To Death - Neil Postman
These Truths - Jill Lepore
Irresistible - Adam Alter
Contagious - Jonah Berger
Generations - Jean M. Twenge
The Square and the Tower - Niall Ferguson
The Master Switch - Tim Wu
The Attention Merchants - Tim Wu
I Live in the Future & Here's How It Works - Nick Bilton
Willpower - Roy F. Baumeister, John Tierney
Scale - Geoffrey West
The Perfect Weapon - David E. Sanger
Human Compatible - Stuart Russell
Who Owns the Future? - Jaron Lanier
LikeWar - P. W. Singer, Emerson T. Brooking
The Age of Surveillance Capitalism - Shoshana Zuboff
Twitter and Tear Gas - Zeynep Tufekci
The Future Is Analog - David Sax
The Medium Is the Massage - Marshall McLuhan, Quentin Fiore, and Shepard Fairey
The Battle for Your Brain - Nita A. Farahany
Weapons of Math Destruction - Cathy O'Neil
The Extended Mind - Annie Murphy Paul
Wanting - Luke Burgis
Why We Did It - Tim Miller
Noise - Daniel Kahneman, Olivier Sibony, and Cass R. Sunstein
The Exponential Age - Azeem Azhar
Fully Automated Luxury Communism - Aaron Bastani
The Platform Delusion - Jonathan A. Knee
Indistractable - Nir Eyal
The Whale and the Reactor - Langdon Winner
*Other (or Unknown) Substance Use Disorder (p577)
Diagnostic Criteria
A. A problematic pattern of use of an intoxicating substance not able to be classified within the alcohol; caffeine; cannabis; hallucinogen (phencyclidine and others); inhalant; opioid; sedative, hypnotic, or anxiolytic; stimulant; or tobacco categories and leading to clinically significant impairment or distress, as manifested by at least two of the following, occurring within a 12-month period:
The substance is often taken in larger amounts or over a longer period than was intended.
There is a persistent desire or unsuccessful efforts to cut down or control use of the substance.
A great deal of time is spent in activities necessary to obtain the substance, use the substance, or recover from its effects.
Craving, or a strong desire or urge to use the substance.
Recurrent use of the substance resulting in a failure to fulfill major role obligations at work, school, or home.
Continued use of the substance despite having persistent or recurrent social or interpersonal problems caused or exacerbated by the effects of its use.
Important social, occupational, or recreational activities are given up or reduced because of use of the substance.
Recurrent use of the substance in situations in which it is physically hazardous.
Use of the substance is continued despite knowledge of having a persistent or recurrent physical or psychological problem that is likely to have been caused or exacerbated by the substance.
Tolerance, as defined by either of the following:
A need for markedly increased amounts of the substance to achieve intoxication or desired effect.
A markedly diminished effect with continued use of the same amount of the substance.
Withdrawal, as manifested by either of the following:
The characteristic withdrawal syndrome for other (or unknown) substance (refer to Criteria A and B of the criteria sets for other [or unknown] substance withdrawal, p. 583).
The substance (or a closely related substance) is taken to relieve or avoid withdrawal symptoms.
Internet Gaming Disorder (P795)
Proposed Criteria
Persistent and recurrent use of the Internet to engage in games, often with other players, leading to clinically significant impairment or distress as indicated by five (or more) of the following in a 12-month period:
Preoccupation with Internet games. (The individual thinks about previous gaming activity or anticipates playing the next game; Internet gaming becomes the dominant activity in daily life). Note: This disorder is distinct from Internet gambling, which is included under gambling disorder.
Withdrawal symptoms when Internet gaming is taken away. (These symptoms are typically described as irritability, anxiety, or sadness, but there are no physical signs of pharmacological withdrawal.)
Tolerance—the need to spend increasing amounts of time engaged in Internet games.
Unsuccessful attempts to control the participation in Internet games.
Loss of interests in previous hobbies and entertainment as a result of, and with the exception of, Internet games.
Continued excessive use of Internet games despite knowledge of psychosocial problems.
Has deceived family members, therapists, or others regarding the amount of Internet gaming.
Use of Internet games to escape or relieve a negative mood (e.g., feelings of helplessness, guilt, anxiety).
Has jeopardized or lost a significant relationship, job, or educational or career opportunity because of participation in Internet games.
🤗❤️💯”The most important choice you will make today is choosing where to give your attention.”
Appreciate this post and especially the reading list. I recently read “How to Do Nothing” and found it super impactful!