How corporate algorithms and extractive attention economies fuel digital addiction—lessons from tobacco’s decline
Original framing: “Will social media addiction go the way of cigarettes?” — Financial Times
Neuroscience confirms that social media triggers dopamine pathways similar to nicotine, but platforms exploit this with variable rewards (e.g., infinite scroll) and personalized addiction loops. Studies show that algorithmic feeds reduce attention spans by 30% in under 10 minutes, with effects comparable to sleep deprivation. The scientific consensus on digital addiction is clear, yet tech companies fund 'digital wellness' initiatives to deflect blame—mirroring Big Tobacco’s 'responsible marketing' campaigns.
The comparison between social media addiction and cigarettes reveals a deeper pattern: both are engineered dependencies, normalized by corporate power and regulatory capture.
While tobacco’s decline required exposing industry lies, digital addiction demands dismantling the attention economy itself—a system where platforms profit from cognitive exploitation, with harms disproportionately borne by marginalized groups. Indigenous epistemologies offer a radical alternative, treating attention as a sacred, communal resource rather than a monetizable asset. Historical parallels (e.g., sugar, opioids) show how capitalism commodifies harm until public backlash forces change, but the scale of digital addiction requires preemptive action. The solution lies in treating attention as a public good, enforced through algorithmic accountability, Indigenous sovereignty, and decolonized design—transforming a crisis of distraction into a movement for collective liberation.