Whether it’s Snapchat streaks, Facebook photo-scrolling, or playing Cand圜rush, Schüll explained, you get drawn into “ludic loops” or repeated cycles of uncertainty, anticipation and feedback - and the rewards are just enough to keep you going. “In the online economy, revenue is a function of continuous consumer attention – which is measured in clicks and time spent.” “Facebook, Twitter and other companies use methods similar to the gambling industry to keep users on their sites,” said Natasha Schüll, the author of Addiction by Design, which reported how slot machines and other systems are designed to lock users into a cycle of addiction. These methods are so effective they can activate similar mechanisms as cocaine in the brain, create psychological cravings and even invoke “phantom calls and notifications” where users sense the buzz of a smartphone, even when it isn’t really there. Social media platforms are using the same techniques as gambling firms to create psychological dependencies and ingrain their products in the lives of their users, experts warn. Education, Training & Faculty Development.National Clinician Scholars Program at IHPI.
