Posts Tagged ‘mental health’

📲 Addicted by Design: How Algorithms Exploit the Human Mind 🧠

Posted: June 27, 2025 in Excess and Algorithms
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Inside the calculated architecture of algorithmic addiction—and why the systems keeping us hooked aren’t accidental, they’re engineered for profit.

Photo by Gabriel Freytez on Pexels.com

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.

Photo by cottonbro studio on Pexels.com

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

🎬 Scroll-Friendly Version
This article was reimagined as a visual essay — watch the reel below.

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🎯 ALGORITHM ADDICTION We scroll, swipe, and tap — and the algorithm learns. This <1-minute visual essay explores how tech hijacks attention and reshapes identity. #DigitalAddiction #TikTokAwareness #AlgorithmAddiction #MentalClarity #SelfAwareness

♬ Mystic – Perfect, so dystopian

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Letting Go of Old Stories for New Beginnings

Posted: November 10, 2024 in Stimulus Space Response
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It can be offputting to hear the concept that the past is nothing more than thoughts in our heads. We know it happened. Often, we have physical proof that it happened. But when it’s over, where does the past exist in the present moment?

For many of us (myself included) our past exists in the present through the stories we tell ourselves in our heads. We turn a singular experience into a defining trait. We do this by repeating a narrative to ourselves and the world, over and over.

“The soul becomes dyed with the color of its thoughts.” — Marcus Aurelius

Our memory of the past and how we think and feel about ourselves in the present are shaped by the stories we tell ourselves and others about it. For better and for worse, this creates a self-fulfilling prophecy. For many, it creates a vicious circle that, without awareness or action, can become destiny disguised as fate.

“We become what we think about all day long.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson

It isn’t the past or even the self-talk stories about the past that are the problem; rather, our attachment to them is the problem. The first time I got a whiff of attachment as the root of all suffering was listening to the audiobook version of A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle. That was about a year or two before I started habitually doing guided meditation practices. I can remember not wanting to get out of my car in my university’s parking lot because I was so mesmerized by what I was hearing.

“The root of suffering is attachment.” — Buddha

Unfortunately, hearing and reading the concept didn’t create a miracle-epiphany-cure all. It danced around in my head for a minute before exiting stage left and being drowned out by habitual thoughts and emotions in the other direction. But I can still remember sitting in that parking lot to this day. So it’s fair to say that at least a seed was planted that day.

Photo by Osama Khan on Unsplash

Repetition is key to learning. We need to hear, see and do things repeatedly for them to stick. That is why the stories in our heads become our destiny. We repeat them more times than we could ever possibly count. It is also how we let go of the old stories and define ourselves by what we do in each present moment. Repetition.

I had to hear and read about the concept of attachment as the root of suffering repeatedly but also phrased differently. I’ve gravitated to Stoicism, Buddhism, and Taoism over the years because I feel that many of their core principles overlap. Amor Fati and Wu Wei. Letting go of attachment and choosing to focus on what is within your control. I feel like before I learned these principles my life was all yin and no yang or vice versa.

Photo by freestocks on Unsplash

Journaling can create mental space. It does this by getting our thoughts, emotions, and self-talk onto paper. We can use meditation to cultivate awareness. We can also tap into the wisdom of ancient philosophies and spiritual practices. They have helped people with our issues for thousands of years. A gratitude practice can help us habitually think positively. It can also boost our mood and beliefs.

With enough consistent, focused execution we can create new narratives for ourselves because we will be living new lives. Maybe externally everything may look the same. But our experience of the world is from the inside out.

I have had to challenge myself constantly to journal, to be more mindful, and to be more grateful. To shift focus from the external to the internal. From the past to the present. From the negative to the positive. And it is a challenge, but it is a challenge worth undertaking. Why? Because habitualizing these practices allows us to begin again infinitely.

“When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change”- Max Planck

Seek, Find, Embrace: The Power of Openness

Posted: October 24, 2024 in Stimulus Space Response
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An open mind can seem like a vague term. Yet closed-minded is very succinct and easy to understand. It can be confusing to learn that openness to the world is the key to finding what we seek in life. But it is straightforward that being closed-minded towards the world is to live a limited, suffocated life.

“The mind is everything. What you think you become.” — Buddha

I find myself in a battle against being closed-minded regularly. Some practices that help me keep my mind more open than closed are:

  • Reading philosophy
  • Meditating
  • Studying humanism
  • Journaling
  • Practicing yoga

I have cultivated enough awareness to at least know the concepts of open vs closed-mindedness which I am grateful for. I still have much work to do to keep myself open-minded in moments of test and choice, but then again, who doesn’t?

“The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing.” — Albert Einstein

Photo by Chris Barbalis on Unsplash

Close-Minded — having or showing rigid opinions or a narrow outlook.

Open-Minded — willing to consider new ideas; unprejudiced.

Photo by Levi Bare on Unsplash

Having an open mind generally involves curiosity, willingness to learn, and embracing new experiences. For me, I find having an open mind correlates with positivity, productivity, or at the very least neutrality regarding thought, perception, emotion, and action. Day to day if/when I find myself slipping into negative or detrimental thoughts, perceptions, emotions, or actions; there is a good chance I’ve concurrently slipped into closed-mindedness.

I feel like being closed-minded is the default setting in our human nature. Hard-wired into us as a survival mechanism from caveman times. It also seems like we are becoming more closed-minded in the algorithm-dominated modern world of digital echo chambers and rage-bait. An open mind is a rich soil for evolution and growth. A closed mind is a rich soil for egocentric withering.

“The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson

Thankfully, fostering an open mind is simple, easy, and completely within our ability to control. This is nice because living can be complex, difficult, and at the mercy of external situations enough as it is.

  • Mindful breathing exercises
  • Guided meditation
  • Journaling
  • Getting out into nature

The above list are some of my go-to’s that have been very helpful and enriching for me. But in the name of micro-tasking, start by just trying any small, simple new thing or by doing something you already do just a little bit differently.

Starting with our existing routines and habits, even the most mundane ones, is a practical way to open our minds. Try holding items with a different hand, eating breakfast for dinner, taking a different route to work, or watching a foreign film with subtitles. These small modifications can be surprisingly effective first steps toward a more open-minded perspective.

“Change the way you look at things and the things you look at change.” — Wayne Dyer

We need to be more open-minded. The world needs more open-minded people. Being open-minded is the foundational paradigm for learning, connecting with people, discovering new opportunities, and living a fulfilling and meaningful life.

It’s simple but not easy because we are going against the grain of human nature. It’s natural to be closed-minded when we already have what we need to survive. But we don’t want to just survive, we want to thrive. Regardless of our definition of what thriving is to us individually, the first step on our path there, begins with having an open mind.

Stillness in Motion: Embracing the Paradox of Existence

Posted: October 10, 2024 in Anarchy Journal Constitutional
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While our experiences are constantly in flux, a core sense of self exists, a presence that remains constant. Our external experience of life and the world is like a river, fire, or busy urban intersection. Our internal presence, awareness, consciousness, soul, or being; are the ground beneath those things.

The river flows fast and slow, the fire rages and flickers and the intersection goes from bustling to quiet, but the ground is solid, unmoving, unchanged, unnoticed but without it what goes on above it couldn’t exist.

“No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it’s not the same river and he’s not the same man.” — Heraclitus

Is this unchanging “simple being” who we are? Is this the answer to the question; “Who am I?” I’m pretty sure the answer to that question isn’t our ego, job title, hobbies, credit score, or proficiency with Excel.

The enduring self or our consciousness as the witness to our thoughts hasn’t exactly been part of the zeitgeist. However, the juxtaposition of getting and looking older externally, but feeling the same as we did when we were young internally, is a commonality shared by all people who reach old age.

“You are not a body, you have a body.” — Wayne Dyer

What is that within us that doesn’t age? Our body decays and our mind declines, but there is something about us that is ageless and timeless. We all share it. We all know what it is when we see ourselves in the mirror as we get older. We know we are older, but we also know there’s a part of us that doesn’t feel older. A constant presence underlying our experiences. Something within us that we can see, touch, or feel that seems to stay the same as everything else changes.

“There is a feeling of presence that transcends thought. This is your own essence, your Being.” — Eckhart Tolle

We inherently know this enduring self or consciousness exists. Notwithstanding, modern life distracts us from it, aiming our attention outward. We have numerous daily concerns, and virtual propaganda adds unnecessary layers of thought on top of what we need to survive. On top of that, our minds can be out of control thought-producing machines. Adding stress and suffering to our existence, by confusing us into emotionally identifying with our thoughts, rather than passively witnessing them.

Photo by HONG FENG on Unsplash

How do we combat this? Where attention goes, energy flows. We have to take some time or make some time to habitualize the cultivating our inner awareness and connection to our unchanging presence. The simplest, easiest, and most time-tested way of doing this is through mindfulness.

Mindfulness has become an overused catch-all buzzword in recent years. Mindfulness is no magic wand. It is simply the practice of paying attention to the present moment without judgment. Mindfulness is most commonly associated with meditation. The guided meditation sessions I engaged in daily can be classified as mindfulness meditation. I love and wholeheartedly recommend meditation to anyone and everyone.

Mindfulness isn’t limited to a traditional meditation practice. However, mindfulness is a way to turn everyday tasks and activities into meditative experiences.
  • Mindful Eating: Pay attention to the taste, texture, and aroma of your food.
  • Mindful Walking: Focus on your senses as you walk, noticing the sights, sounds, and sensations.
  • Mindful Showering: Pay attention to the feeling of the water on your skin and the sensations in your body.
  • Mindful Chores: Bring your full attention to the task at hand, whether it’s washing dishes or cleaning the house.
  • Mindful Drawing or Painting: Focus on the sensations of the brush or pencil and the colors you’re using.
  • Mindful Writing: Pay attention to the flow of your thoughts and the feel of the pen on the paper.
  • Mindful Music Listening: Listen to music with full attention, focusing on the sounds and emotions it evokes.
  • Forest Bathing: Spending time in nature, immersing yourself in the sights, sounds, and smells.

Keyword in all of these activities is either focus/attention. Where our attention goes, energy flows. Paying extra attention or deeply focusing on the different aspects of one of these activities helps us forget about external distractions, quiet our internal thought stream, and cultivate the connection with the constant presence within ourselves amidst the ever-changing stream of our life experience.

“You are not a thought, you are the awareness of thought.” — Mooji

Amidst the ever-changing currents of life, our deeper self remains constant and unchanging. By practicing mindfulness, we can reconnect with this inner presence, transcending the distractions and noise of modern life. Whether through meditation or mindful daily activities, we can cultivate a deeper awareness of our timeless self. As we turn our attention inward, we nurture the connection with our true being, allowing us to navigate life’s flux with greater peace and clarity.

“One must first know oneself to grow beyond oneself.” — Abraham Maslow

Breaking Free of Judgement & Going Beyond Blame

Posted: September 28, 2024 in Stimulus Space Response
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Photo by Tom Chrostek on Unsplash

“To judge another is to judge oneself.” — Wayne Dyer

One of the things we all have in common is that we are constantly judging. We judge ourselves. We judge other people. We judge our environment. We judge our past. We judge our potential future. We judge our actions. We judge our bodies. We judge our minds. We judge our failures. We judge our successes. We judge effort. We judge results. We judge our intentions.

We judge what has happened, what could have happened, what is happening, what we think will happen, what we think should happen. We judge. It’s hard-wired into us as a species. It’s part of why we have survived. However, we continue to learn that so much of how we have been hard-wired to survive and thrive in the past, is hindering us with hidden suffering in the modern world.

“Most of our unhappiness comes from our own thoughts, not from our circumstances.” — Dalai Lama

Hard-wired is a very fitting term for our unconscious habit of constantly judging ourselves and others. Many days, if not most days, in any situation regardless of the perception of positive or negative, we instantly, without knowing or choosing, slip into a state of judging. We all do it. It’s not a one-time occurrence and isn’t a one-time fix to stop doing it. That’s the thing with habits. For better and for worse, we do them automatically.

Why do we constantly, unconsciously judge ourselves and others? Why is it hard-wired into us? Like so many things that cause problems for humans in the modern world, our brains haven’t evolved much since we were cavemen. Our judging helped us survive as hunter-gatherers outside of our tribe(s) and helped us to build communities within our tribe(s).

“True compassion is more than flinging a coin to a beggar. It is remembering that everyone deserves compassion.” — Jack Kornfield

Our brains are hard-wired for quick categorization and evaluation. This is more commonly known as the fight or flight (or freeze) response. Fight or flight response can wreak havoc on our lives by creating an unreasonable internal reaction to a reasonable external situation. It has for me and likely has for you as well. Our unreasonable internal reaction is a cognitive bias shaped by our past. When fight or flight kicks in, we aren’t actually reacting or interacting with the present moment, we are having a trauma response and are reacting to the past in the present.

Living in the past and reacting to the past in the present is the opposite of positive, productive, or beneficial. Yet that is our default way of thinking, perceiving, and living. We have to be made aware of it and then taught a better way, then practice that way consistently until it is habitualized. That seems more valuable to me than learning algebra or the periodic table, but oh, there I go judging again.

With evolutionary roots and psychological purpose, how can judging be so detrimental to us? Well, it’s not judging itself that’s bad, it’s negative judgments that are severely counterproductive. Negative judgments about ourselves are a straight path to low self-esteem. Negative judgments about others create social barriers and kill the potential to develop empathy. Positive judgments are helpful and constructive but take a look around, does it look like the world has a surplus of positive judgment going on?

Mindfulness and meditation practices have been life savers for me. I have been my own worst critic for my entire life. Negative self-talk was a big problem for me for a very long time. Guided meditation practices (specifically from the Calm app) helped introduce me to mindfulness in short, simple, easy-to-do ways. Reading and studying Stoic philosophy and spirituality teachers like Eckhart Tolle, Wayne Dyer, and Alan Watts helped me change my paradigm and perception of life.

“Let go of the need to always be right.” — Eckhart Tolle

Paradigms shift slowly. It has taken a long time and is an ongoing practice to be a true friend to myself instead of a critic. Just this year I emphasized and have seen success in shifting my self-talk to that of a friend. Referring to myself as a “friend” internally has been very beneficial because doing so defaults to self-compassion instead of self-criticism.

Compassion for ourselves and empathy for others are mandatory for trying to turn the rutter of our unconscious habit of negative judging. Rutters don’t do quick, sharp turns. It’s slow moving heavy mass. But even a slight change can chart a whole new course if one persists. That’s how change works in life.

Choose to focus on the positive rather than the negative. Choose curiosity instead of criticism. Not once or twice. Not only out in the light of the public eye. But again and again when we are alone in the dark. That’s the real test. That’s when our habits are made. That’s when we’re living. That’s when we’re choosing who we are, by what we do, for better and for worse.

“To understand everything is to forgive everything.” — Alexander Pope

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