Beware the Skinner box

March 9, 2025

I recently watched this video which talked about the Skinner box and how social media algorithms are created to be addictive. Psychologist B.F Skinner discovered that by varying when an action triggers a reward, you can condition animals to perform an action even when the reward is no longer necessary. For example, a pigeon can be conditioned to push a button for food when it is hungry, but by causing food to appear randomly, that pigeon would push the the button even when it isn't hungry. The anticipation is the reward.

For the most part, I have avoided most social media platforms with one exception - YouTube. The YouTube algorithm suggests videos for me to watch and while the recommendations are good, I discovered that I enjoy what I watch less and paradoxically I was using YouTube more. I had been conditioned like a pigeon in a Skinner box. YouTube shorts only made it worse. With videos, I had to decide what to watch based on the thumbnail and the title, but with shorts I had to decide what not to watch. I could feel my free time slipping away. Whenever I was bored, I immediately reached for YouTube. Who knows how much time was lost?

There has been a lot of conversation about AI recently. Well, LLM's which so far have proven to be really sophisticated chatbots. There is a fear that they will replace jobs and questions about what the unemployed will do. So far that has been an overexaggeration. But, social media platforms that are designed to be as addictive as possible are here now. What negative effects are these platforms having on our minds? In his book "The Shallows", Nicholas Carr talks about how the use of the internet makes it harder for the traditional, linear mind to function. Social media platforms are only make the issue worse.

In an attempt to regain control of my time, I deactivated the YouTube app on my phone. I was relying on YouTube to alleviate boredom far too often - when waiting in line, when arriving home at the end of the work day, before driving, before going to sleep. With YouTube deactivated, I sleep more soundly at night and the long commutes that were spent listening to podcasts, video essays, and music have been replaced with long periods of reflective thinking. I still spend too much time reading web novels, but at least that is something that I chose to do and not something that was suggested. Overall, I feel happier and more in control of my life.

If you find that you are someone who spends too much time on the internet, mindlessly scrolling you can try deactivating / deleting your apps too. The question isn't whether you should be working or relaxing. I am definitely not suggesting that you work on side projects after work unless you want to. What I am suggesting is that how you choose to spend your time should be intentional. And that you will be happier too.