I recently wrote that Facebook should be regulated like a utility, but maybe social media is more like an addictive, harmful drug than a utility. The companies that push social media on us are like drug dealers. Given my libertarian sympathies, adults should generally be free to use the drugs they want, but society should regulate promotion and distribution of the substance and protect children from being preyed upon by the dealers.

The real problem with Facebook's behavior is the revelation of its rampant institutional lying. In the XCheck story, we learned that after Facebook spent more than $130 million to create an Independent Oversight Board to oversee its content-moderation decisions, Facebook executives routinely lied to that board. Facebook told the Oversight Board that XCheck was only used in "a small number of decisions," even though the program had grown to include 5.8 million users in 2020.

"We're not actually doing what we say we do publicly," and the company's actions constitute a "breach of trust," reads a confidential internal review done by Facebook.
We also learned -- shockingly -- that the CEO and COO of the trillion-dollar behemoth are regularly involved in decisions of what posts to remove when such posts are made by certain people who are exempted from Facebook's community guidelines and content-moderation procedures. This is all while Facebook asserted that it applied the same standards to everyone.

Apparently, XCheck was created to mitigate "p.r. fires" or negative media attentions when Facebook takes the wrong action against a high-profile VIP. Even worse than the existence of the XCheck program was Facebook's dishonesty about it, reflecting the state of mind of a company that knew it was doing something wrong -- and still did it anyway.

These revelations strengthen the case that Facebook likely serves increasingly as the censorship arm of the US government, just as it does for other governments around the world.

That last sentence gets to the heart of the matter, and explains why collective action against social media dealers has been so slow: the elite class wants to control our speech, and is happy to use social media dealers to do it.

Facebook is soma.

What is soma in Brave New World by Aldous Huxley? In the context of the novel, soma is a recreational drug that several of the main characters take throughout the story. The government in Brave New World strongly encourages individuals to take soma as a way to increase the happiness and complacency of the population. Soma can be taken as a pill or as a powder and can also be released as an aerosol. It is freely available to everyone in the novel. Its inclusion in the text is central to the novel's themes of complacency and resistance in society as well as the theme of escapism.

Blue Ridge's Clinical Team Presents about Assessment of Substance Use and Autism at the OBHC Regional Wilderness Therapy Symposium

In this episode, Thomas Domville takes us on a journey through the world of FruitPot 2, a fun-filled slot machine game for iOS. FruitPot 2 is a game that will take you back to the 80s with its retro graphics and sounds. The game features an ever-changing fruit machine slot, as well as more than 15 mini-games that appear as you progress through the game. With the Bucks you earn, you can purchase items from stores at the mall. FruitPot 2 is a great game to play when you're looking for something to relax and have fun with.

FruitPot 2 is available for free on the App Store:
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/fruitpot-2/id6444378324?l=en

Title: Monkey Trials Raise Hope for Non-Addictive Opioid Alternative
Category: Health News
Created: 8/30/2018 12:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 8/31/2018 12:00:00 AM

The New York legislature passed two bills on June 7, 2024 directed at children’s use of online technologies – the Stop Addictive Feeds Exploitation (SAFE) for Kids Act (S7694) that restricts access to addictive algorithmic feeds and the New York Child Data Protection Act (S7695) that bans sites from collecting, using, sharing or selling personal […]

During a hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee, a discussion was being held about the content moderation policies of various platforms and the impact of the recent US General Election. When Senator Lindsey Graham asked both Jack and Mark about their opinion whether their platforms can become addictive for the users, both answered differently.

As per Jack Dorsey, (like any other tech) social media platforms including Twitter and Facebook can make users addicted to continue using them. His opinion is in line with the opinions of several psychologists also who say that these social media networks give the users a sense of well-being by giving them a feeling of connection with others. One post after the other, and the urge of users to keep returning to these platforms to see newer posts one after another is like a trigger for their dopamine centers in the brain. And that is why psychologists believe that all social media platforms tend to become addicting for their users.

However, Mark Zuckerberg is of a different opinion. He stated in front of the Senate Committee that he believes that all the research regarding this matter is still inconclusive, and no one can say for sure if the social media platforms are addicting or not.

Chronic morphine treatment in mice restored a narcolepsy-related deficit in the brain, decreasing symptoms 

September 22, 2015

Coffee and running are addictive in their own unique ways. Each provides a buzz that keeps people coming back for more. In kind, Runkeeper and Starbucks don’t just help people feed their addictions; these apps are as habit-forming as the behaviors they supplement.

Due to its goal-based reward system, Runkeeper’s users don’t feel like their run “counts” unless it’s tracked within the app. And due to Starbucks’ loyalty-based reward system, customers feel compelled to purchase with the app because they don’t want to miss out on the rewards and VIP status that come with being a regular customer.

When apps aren’t addictive, users open them one time, explore for a few minutes, and promptly delete them from their devices. Depending on your industry,...read more
By Bobby Emamian

Facebook, Twitter, cat videos... Few people can resist the Internet, and here's why.

Gaming is big business but it has its downside. People have died from gaming and the world is recognizing that game addiction is serious and spreading fast. Mental health professionals opine that gaming can destroy lives, keep students from focusing on learning, workers from working, and women from their duties. There are instances where gamers have not left home for years.

Milo & Olive gives us the recipe for their giant garlic knots, which the restaurant now also offers as a take-and-bake item

George A. Bray
Jul 1, 2016; 65:1797-1799
Commentaries

Psychologist Pete Etchells explores what the scientific research has to say about game violence and addiction and busts some myths

Chronic morphine treatment in mice restored a narcolepsy-related deficit in the brain, decreasing symptoms