Nir And Far: Business, Behaviour and the Brain Can We Regulate Social Networks To Curb Addiction—Without Making Them Suck?-Nir&Far
Jun 28, 2021
Nir Eyal, author and behavioral design expert, narrates a sharp essay about regulating social networks to protect vulnerable users while preserving product value. He recounts meetings with major platforms. He explains why banning features misses the point and proposes targeted use-and-abuse policies and help prompts for heavy users.
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Executives Unaware Of Self-Help Groups
- Nir Eyal met with leaders from Reddit, Snapchat, and Facebook to discuss social media addiction.
- Many executives were unaware users formed Facebook groups to help each other cut back from social media.
Feature Bans Miss The Real Problem
- Proposed bans on features like infinite scroll miss the real problem and hurt most users.
- Only about 3–10% are pathologically addicted while the rest face distraction, not addiction.
Require Use-And-Abuse Policies
- Require platforms to implement use-and-abuse policies that protect vulnerable users.
- Identify heavy users and offer them help toggles, guidance, and mental health resources when they ask.