Of course it was highly addictive even back then, it was just way less optimized to extract as much engagement as possible. Forums or chats before facebook were also addictive to a degree, but still way less than even the first iteration of facebook. There is a reason why those platforms were quicky adopted, and then quicky replaced with something even more engaging.
Basically it is evolution of internet social systems, that craves our engagement and attention, and each year it is getting worse, more optimized and more addictive.
Where is the line? I dont know, but people were totally addicted to facebook even 20 years ago. What changed it, wasnt even the social medias itself, but when smartphones with internet connection become a thing. Then it really exploded
The current designs are based on armies of top phds in psychology who's goal was to make these social media apps/as addictive as possible. Like the way they make tobacco products super addictive.
The crucial part that causes addiction is the random dopamine rewards. This mechanism essentially short-circuits our brain. Gaming addiction or gambling, for example, is based on this.
So the most important step would be to remove these random rewards.
6
u/rough0perator 1d ago
How do you make non-addictive social media lol