9:15 PM
Addictive Social Media Features
Designed to enhance engagement
Instant Gratification
Likes, comments, and followers
Instant gratification, also known as the "slot machine effect," provides users with dopamine hits, causing many to spend more time on social media apps. Since teens' brains are still developing, they are especially vulnerable to the "rewards" of social media, causing social media addiction to be more prevalent in younger audiences.
Personalized Alogrithms
Engagement maximization
By using AI to analyze common user trends, social media apps can create highly personalized experiences, providing content that keeps users hooked and engaged for longer periods of time. By maximizing screen time and engagement, personalized algorithms contribute to social media addiction by creating an environment uniquely curated for the individual.
Push Notifications
Personalized alerts
Push notifications are short messages sent by social media apps such as Instagram and Facebook to re-engage users. Oftentimes, these notifications inform users about recent activity, such as new followers, likes, comments, and posts. Push notifications are opt-in for many social media apps.
Infinite Scroll
Eliminating friction in social media
Infinite scroll or auto-play is when apps automatically load new content, creating a hands-free and undisturbed experience for users. Without friction — roadblocks that prevent users from automatically moving to the next video — social media apps can cause users to spend hours online, engaging in videos and "interacting" with others.
Addictive Social Media Features
Claire Kornberg
Created on March 1, 2026
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Transcript
9:15 PM
Addictive Social Media Features
Designed to enhance engagement
Instant Gratification
Likes, comments, and followers
Instant gratification, also known as the "slot machine effect," provides users with dopamine hits, causing many to spend more time on social media apps. Since teens' brains are still developing, they are especially vulnerable to the "rewards" of social media, causing social media addiction to be more prevalent in younger audiences.
Personalized Alogrithms
Engagement maximization
By using AI to analyze common user trends, social media apps can create highly personalized experiences, providing content that keeps users hooked and engaged for longer periods of time. By maximizing screen time and engagement, personalized algorithms contribute to social media addiction by creating an environment uniquely curated for the individual.
Push Notifications
Personalized alerts
Push notifications are short messages sent by social media apps such as Instagram and Facebook to re-engage users. Oftentimes, these notifications inform users about recent activity, such as new followers, likes, comments, and posts. Push notifications are opt-in for many social media apps.
Infinite Scroll
Eliminating friction in social media
Infinite scroll or auto-play is when apps automatically load new content, creating a hands-free and undisturbed experience for users. Without friction — roadblocks that prevent users from automatically moving to the next video — social media apps can cause users to spend hours online, engaging in videos and "interacting" with others.