One day on here made it obvious how socials was designed for the doom scrolling. I literally don’t want to open twitter anymore, only reason I still do is muscle memory.
Discussion
The algos prioritize engagement above all else and we tend to experience negative emotions more strongly than positive emotions. The doom loop keeps us engaged but feeling progressively worse.
A simple reverse chronological list of thoughts from people I choose to follow keeps the negativity in its proper context. The darkness is then overwhelmed by the light.
Also, being allowed to get to the end of the new stuff is critical to knowing when it is time to put Nostr down for a while and go do something else.
I didn’t realize how much I missed the “you have seen all of this before, stop coming here” signal.
Hard agree. It’s so nice to check in, and then easily close the app without the need to do some mindless refreshing.
Totally agree and zapped ⚡🤙
Is this peace of mind /end of “doomscrolling” something that will endure after Nostr scales more?
Or is it only happening because we’re early?
Nostr really does remind me of the RSS/blogging days, and the Usenet days before it. And even the early days of Reddit and Twitter.
Back then you always got reminded that you were being compulsive if you kept going back even when there was nothing new to see.
The algorithms just keep feeding you the next thing they predict you’ll engage with. The algorithms also search far and wide for things you haven’t directly asked to see but which they know keep people engaged. Those things tend to be negative.