Stephen Downes

I know it's a nice appealing theory. "(Social Media services) all built not on engagement, connection, conversation or discussion but on distraction via little hits of dopamine." We're fed little bits of happiness and we go after them more and more - and then we're hooked. But how well does this theory apply to real-world examples. Tim Klapdor offers a chart of other things reflecting 'the rise of dopamine culture' showing an evolution from 'slow' to 'fast' to 'dopamine' in things ranging from athletics to video ro relationships. But I don't really think the chart holds up - not, at least, unless you feel slow-culture artifacts like newspapers, film, and handwritten letters are intrinsically better than the alternatives. And I don't.