What I meant to say was, the standard for when we call something addictive is more hazy than that. In general, text based interfaces don't light up the brain in the same way. Psychologically it's a lot easier to walk away from a chatbot vs an infinite feed of short form video... potentially that difference could help find some kind of standard to determine addictiveness

Edit: I wonder if a hypothetical digital experience like the samizdat out of infinite jest is possible? I.e. a digital experience which hits the brain in the perfect way to produce addiction without a chemical basis

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ToucanLoucan 5 hours ago | parent [-]

> What I meant to say was, the standard for when we call something addictive is more hazy than that.

If you as a person engage with a product to a degree where it causes demonstrable, measurable harm to yourself or your life, you are addicted.

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matrix87 5 hours ago | parent [-]

If I cut my leg off with a chainsaw, am I addicted to the chainsaw? I think what matters is the intent of the design. E.g. if they design the product to make you need more of it (while it has an actively detrimental effect)

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ToucanLoucan 5 hours ago | parent [-]

> If I cut my leg off with a chainsaw, am I addicted to the chainsaw?

If you repeatedly willingly do so despite the harm, then yes.

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philipallstar 3 hours ago | parent | next [-]

But you still did it. If I sunbathe every day without sun cream, whom do we regulate? Assuming people have no ability to choose.

	▲	stevesimmons a minute ago \| parent [-]
		For sunbathing in particular, do what Australia does: - large scale public health campaigns on dangers of skin cancer. With a catchy song and slogan ("slip, slop, slap... Slip on a shirt, slop on sunscreen, slap on a hat") - schools make it compulsory for kids to have hats in summer - regulate tanning salons, promote fake tans in preference to sunbeds - doctors check people for skin cancers during regular checkups And over just a few years, being very brown quickly gets associated with being reckless and unhealthy. In other words, regulate and educate

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blackqueeriroh 4 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

You have moved the goalpost.

	▲	UpsideDownRide 3 hours ago \| parent [-]
		Stop using buzzwords instead of engaging in a discussion. Someone clarifying their position is not necessairly moving goalposts, they might have just not laid out fully their idea in the first place.