Nir And Far: Business, Behaviour and the Brain “Tech Addiction” Is the New Reefer Madness-Nir&Far
Apr 12, 2021
A critique of fear-based claims that tech universally hijacks our brains. A review of a proposed law that would tightly regulate product design. A comparison of modern tech alarmism to historical moral panics. A look at data suggesting small harms for most users and a push to treat distraction, not overreach, as the main problem.
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Tech Alarmism Distorts The Problem
- Tech alarmism treats occasional overuse as universal addiction and elevates exceptions into norms.
- Framing distraction as addiction misdirects policy and public debate away from real causes and rare pathology.
SMART Act As An Example
- Nir Eyal recounts the SMART Act's aggressive proposed limits like 30-minute daily caps and banning autoplay.
- He uses the bill to illustrate how policy can overreach by assuming universal addiction.
Reefer Madness As A Parallel
- Nir Eyal compares modern tech panic to the 1938 film Reefer Madness that exaggerated marijuana harms.
- The film became a cult classic because viewers saw through its fearmongering agenda.
