The Addiction and Business
Addiction
The chemically addictive nature of Social media has now been fully exposed. In a recent interview, Sean Parker, one of Facebook’s founding Fathers, discussed the addictive drug dynamic of Facebook. [1] He described the system of users posting content and receiving likes as “a social-validation feedback loop .… exploiting a vulnerability in human psychology.” “We need to sort of give you a little dopamine hit every once in a while because someone liked or commented on a photo or a post or whatever,” Parker said. “and that’s going to get you to contribute more content, and that’s going to get you … more likes and comments.”
So why do we send out a picture of the salad we are about to eat, to the entire world? According to Facebook’s builders, it’s for the “buzz”. Responses to our posts, no matter how dumb they are, stroke chemical arousal that excites us and makes us feel important. In the days before cell phones, publishing a picture of a salad as if worthy of worldwide attention would be ridiculous. But with Facebook, it’s as if you’re a celebrity with your own self-appointed Paparazzi. What a high! What a hook!
Business
It was further revealed that the new addiction was intentionally created to manipulate members. Sean Parker admits, [2] “Facebookers” built the platform to “consume as much of your time and conscious attention as possible.” He also noted that he and Zuckerberg, and later Instagram’s Kevin Systrom, were very much aware of this and “did it anyway.” This was perceived, of course, as “just good business.”
A woman once invited me to become her friend on Facebook. I confided that in my entire life I had a total of two and a half real friends. I cherish them. I then asked her how many friends she had? One thousand five hundred and sixty-six, she responded. I then declined and facetiously told her that I didn’t think I was worthy of becoming number one thousand five hundred and sixty-seven. The sad reality is, that woman has zero friends. She has been misled to confuse computer “contacts,” with friends. She has a “friend substitute,” like artificial sweetener. Meanwhile, Mark Zuckerberg has become the 5th richest man in the world at her naive expense. But as Vito Corleone said, “It’s just business.”
Social media provides an unprecedented superhighway for legitimate communication. But it is also a divergent detour of social fantasy to nowhere, like “the yellow brick road” to the land of Oz. The sacredness of human friendship and our primal need for such has simply been bastardized into a marketable commodity with an irresistible subliminal sales pitch; “all the friends you could ever want, for free, and at your convenience!” Vast herds of the lonely have trustingly trodden down this dead-end path. Is there anyone, or anything capitalism won’t exploit?
Zuckerberg did not create Facebook to promote friendship. On the contrary, he sold out his only friend in pursuit of his fortune. And along the way, he betrayed the classmates that had shared the original idea with him. Thirty pieces of silver was “just business” too.
The DNA of Social Media is business, friendship is incidental. Socializing has been brilliantly prostituted for profit. Social Media is just its pimp. Sure, there is the legitimate side of Social Media, but like prostitution, it also offers a replacement of the genuine. The narcotic effect is freakishly addictive, and that’s on both sides, legitimate and otherwise which is great news for the pushers, i.e.; businessmen.
In fairness, Mark Zuckerberg was transitioning into becoming a young man from being an “old boy.” But greater accountability comes with the transition into a legitimate “businessman.” Molestations at that level are far less forgivable. “Business is business,” but Zuckerberg’s business card read; “I’m CEO, Bitch!”
Parker also joked that his comments would probably prompt Mark Zuckerberg to block him on Facebook. We’ll see.
Russ Moe 01/01/2018 hedoesallthings@gmail.com www.hedoesallthings.com
[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7jar4KgKxs [2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7jar4KgKxs