--- title: "Social Media Games Your Psychology. Ethical Design Could Change That." description: "Technology scholar Tim Wu argues that social media traps users in unsatisfying loops of activity. Ethical design could change that in the future, he says." date: "2018-09-24" modified: "2018-09-24" authors: - name: "Jon Christian" job_title: "Executive Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/jonc" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/ethical-design-social-media" categories: - "Future Society" tags: - "columbia law school" - "design" - "design ethics" - "fast company" - "social media" - "the digest" - "tim wu" --- # Social Media Games Your Psychology. Ethical Design Could Change That. ![]() *\Image: Emily Cho\* ## ATTENTION ECONOMY Social media's vise-like grip on our attention spans is only getting tighter, Columbia Law School technology scholar Tim Wu notes. In an interview published by [*Fast Company*]() on Friday, Wu argues that social media companies maximize profits by creating products intended to trap users in unsatisfying loops of activity. He implored designers to consider the ethical implications of their work. “I think that a lot of design now is trying to turn all of us into obsessive-compulsives by making it so the loops are never closed,” Wu told *Fast Company*. ## RAT RACE Humans most enjoy activities that have a beginning and an end, like going to a concert or dinner party, Wu said. But social media companies want to maximize the time you spend on their platforms, so they employ features that constantly draw you back in, like infinite scroll and endless notifications. Designers could build a healthier future for social media, Wu said. The [most ethically-designed tech products]() take into account how and when people might use them (like smart cars that don't allow people to use their cell phones while driving, [according to *The Conversation*]()), how they feel when they use them, and keep the design simple enough not to trick users. Tools that [monitor and limit ]()the amount of time you can spend on particular apps are a step in the right direction, even if they're made by exactly the same companies designing products to maximize the time you spend staring at them. “Very few things are more important now to the future of humanity than design ethics,” Wu told *Fast Company*. “Design is the determinant, along with your will. But design creates the way you exercise choices.” **READ MORE:** [The Future of Humanity Depends on Design Ethics, Says Tim Wu]() \[*Fast Company*\] ***More on social media: [Facial Recognition Tool That Tracks People Across Social Media Now Available to Hackers]()*** ## Author I'm responsible for editing, assigning, and scouting at Futurism, as well as occasionally writing for the site. That work involves keeping an eye on a wide range of narratives and issues, but over the past few years I've become increasingly interested in how AI is shaping the future of media, the web, and information itself. My day-to-day often involves collaborating on reporting and commentary projects bylined by my colleagues, but I try to find time to do my own reporting as well; stories I've broken for Futurism have been cited by publications including the New York Times, the Washington Post, the New Yorker, Wired, Ars Technica, New York Magazine, the Columbia Journalism Review, Bloomberg, and more. I grew up in Southern Vermont and attended Vanderbilt University. Prior to Futurism, I contributed to outlets including the Boston Globe, Vice, Wired, Slate, the Atlantic, the Outline, Ars Technica and more, and did stints in farming and food service. I currently live in Brooklyn, New York, and in my free time I enjoy pinball, word games, cycling, running, and music production. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()