Youtube is a Drug

Last night, I started watching some highlights videos from my favorite NHL teams. Seems innocent, right? Within a 30-40 minute period, I got sucked into a Youtube rabbit hole like no other. We’ve all been there. I ended up on cartel Youtube and learned a ton about the corporate climate of American narcotics. From there, I transitioned to some other random shit and ended it with Flat Earth conspiracy videos.

So heres what I’ve learned. Youtube has a unique algorithm that takes into account your own IP address and search history. They cater to your specific interests and develop a unique video lineup based on your individual internet habits. Obviously these are interesting to say the least, so I read about it for almost 15 minutes online this morning.

In the modern world, we’re constantly using the internet. Youtube has perfected their algorithm to act like a drug, and people are getting addicted. Same thing with TikTok. Both platforms push videos that trigger your brain to release dopamine regularly, similar to that of drugs you can get anywhere. In short, they have uniquely specialized content for each individual user and push videos that over time create a chemical dependency in your brain and make users constantly want to go back for more.

*Disclaimer – I got almost all of this info from Wikipedia, the worlds most accurate and relevant search engine*