There’s a reason why you can’t stop reading Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat. The apps have interfaces designed to be addictive, according to Silicon Valley insiders talking with the BBC. Aza Raskin, a former Jawbone and Mozilla employee and the guy who invented infinite scroll found on social networks, was just one of the many developers who spoke with the BBC for a new documentary program. He said,
It’s as if they’re taking behavioural cocaine and just sprinkling it all over your interface and that’s the thing that keeps you like coming back and back and back. Behind every screen on your phone, there are generally like literally a thousand engineers that have worked on this thing to try to make it maximally addicting.
Social networks need your eyes and your attention to keep revenue coming in, so the idea they would find ways to make us want to stay seems plausible. Other insiders say leaving social networks behind is a lot like quitting cigarettes. It’s no wonder so many people live for Facebook’s “like” button.
Check It Out: Social Network Interfaces are Basically Crack