No, it isn't. Tobacco is a physical substance that alters users' biochemistry and creates a physical dependence. Social media is information conveyed via a computing device. You can criticize social media for what it is in its own right, without having to engage in these kinds of disingenuous equivocations.

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ozim 4 hours ago | parent | next [-]

Sounds like you need to read up on dopamine and addictions a bit more.

Gambling isn’t introducing substance into user system it is making use of existing brain chemicals.

Social media companies engineered every piece of addictive mechanisms from gambling to alter brain chemistry or reactions of users.

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jajuuka 3 hours ago | parent [-]

You're blurring the lines a bit. Gambling isn't inherently an addiction. Just like a good TV show isn't inherently addictive either. Social media trying to be more engaging shouldn't really be viewed as an evil action anymore than HBO trying to create compelling content is.

The problem with comparing social media use to tobacco is that they are completely different. It's like saying weed is just like heroin because they both make you feel good. It's reductive and not productive.

The completely anti-social media stance ignores the good parts of social media. People can connect from across the planet and found others who shares the same views or experiences. People who are marginalized can find community where none may exist in their local area. So we should approach this more carefully and grounded.

	▲	tsimionescu 44 minutes ago \| parent \| next [-]
		You can make the point that social media has real positive benefits as well as negatives without minimizing the well proven fact that gambling creates a form of addiction in a significant proportion, though not all, of its users, one every bit as devastating as heroin or alcohol.
	▲	Gigachad an hour ago \| parent \| prev [-]
		Nothing is inherently an addiction. You can smoke a cigarette without it being an addiction.

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pokstad 2 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

You’re right, it’s actually worse than tobacco. Tobacco simply makes your body sick, but social media attacks the most vital part of us. Even the CDC has studied this: https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/73/su/su7304a3.htm

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4 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

[deleted]

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csmcg 4 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

the mechanisms by which that information is being conveyed have been shown to be addictive as well, no?

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bdangubic an hour ago | parent | prev | next [-]

Comparing Tobacco to Social Media is like comparing me to LeBron James. I'd rather have my kid smoke a pack of day than have social media accounts

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fsflover an hour ago | parent | prev [-]

Yes, it is: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24579498