Inside the calculated architecture of algorithmic addiction—and why the systems keeping us hooked aren’t accidental, they’re engineered for profit.
This Isn’t a Bug. It’s the Business Model.
Addiction isn’t a side effect. It’s the product.
The algorithms driving our feeds, for‑you pages, and autoplay queues weren’t built to serve us. They were built to own us—to capture attention, distort behavior, and extract time. The longer we stay, the more they win. And they’ve gotten very good at winning.
“Big Tech firms… have developed more and more sophisticated AI models… more successful at their goal of ensuring addiction to their platforms.” — Michelle Nie, “Algorithmic Addiction by Design” (2025)
This isn’t content delivery. It’s behavioral engineering at scale. And it’s working exactly as intended.
Hook the Brain, Hijack the Future
Let’s call it what it is: neurological warfare for profit.
Infinite scrolls keep us locked in motion. Likes and shares drip dopamine through variable rewards. Personalized algorithms feed us just enough novelty, rage, or validation to keep the lever pulling. And the lever never runs out.
“Persuasive design is deliberately baked into digital services… to create habitual behaviours.” — 5Rights Foundation, “Disrupted Childhood” (2024)
We are not customers. We are inputs in a profit‑generating loop, optimized not for our benefit, but for our addiction.
What It’s Doing to Us (Especially Them)
The damage isn’t theoretical. It’s measurable. Especially among kids and teens—those still forming identities, boundaries, and brains.
An algorithm doesn’t care if a 13‑year‑old spirals. It cares about engagement metrics.
“TikTok algorithms fed adolescents tens of thousands of weight‑loss videos… vulnerable accounts were served twelve times more self‑harm and suicide videos.”
— American Journal of Law & Medicine, 2023
The platforms know. The companies know. And still they choose to push what hooks hardest.
It’s exploitation. But because it’s dressed in UX and recommender systems, it slides by as innovation.
Legal Fiction vs. Corporate Reality
Law hasn’t caught up—but it’s beginning to stir.
Some EU voices are framing this as a consumer protection crisis, not just a mental health one.
“Hyper‑engaging dark patterns… reduce users’ autonomy and may have additional detrimental health effects.”
— Fabrizio Esposito, “Addictive Design as an Unfair Commercial Practice” (2024)
The SAFE for Kids Act in New York aims to curb algorithmic targeting of minors. Europe is considering stricter design ethics laws. But Big Tech lobbyists work overtime to water down reform—and delay the inevitable.
Addiction is profitable. That’s why it persists.
Resist the Feed
This isn’t personalization. It’s manipulation.
And the only way out is resistance—personal, political, cultural.
Start small. Microtasks become momentum:
- Turn off autoplay.
- Disable nonessential notifications.
- Use browser extensions to block algorithmic feeds.
- Delete one app for a week. Watch what happens.
These aren’t solutions. They’re trim tabs—small shifts that change the system from below.
Then go bigger:
- Push for dark‑pattern bans.
- Support platform‑transparency laws.
- Demand algorithmic opt‑outs.
Your time, your attention, your mental state—they’re not raw materials to be mined.
They’re yours. Take them back.
anarchyjc.com | Excess & Algorithms
Wisdom is Resistance
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