TikTok has turned culture into a feedback loop of impulse and machine learning

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

Reaction to the Article & Site UX

  • Many readers bounced due to an aggressive full-screen popup, history-stack abuse, and large margins, calling it ironically attention-hostile for a piece about attention.
  • Several mention using adblockers or JS blockers to make it readable; others criticize the poster for mostly self-promotion.

Attention Span, Dopamine, and “Dehumanization”

  • Multiple commenters say hyper-fast, dense speech and rapid cuts feel inhuman and unpleasant, even for people with ADHD.
  • Some describe short-form feeds as “like a drug,” reporting real difficulty returning to books, slower shows, or older films.
  • Others argue attention and concentration are trainable: deliberate reading habits, media fasting, and single-tasking are proposed as “rehab.”
  • There’s debate over what kind of attention is harmed: passive high-intensity video vs active, imaginative focus for reading.

Short vs Long Form: Bifurcation, Fluff, and Incentives

  • A common view: we’re not replacing long form; we’re bifurcating. Ultra-short (30–60s) content explodes while long YouTube videos, podcasts, and movies get longer.
  • Several blame ad and recommendation algorithms for bloated 10–60 minute videos (sponsor padding, slow intros, filler) and for pushing longer runtimes.
  • Others defend true long-form deep dives as uniquely valuable, while criticizing “essay” videos that are mostly vibes or trivia.
  • Some celebrate short form as “superior” when it forces creators to skip repetitive 101 intros and compress to the gist; others counter that hyper-stimulation ≠ intelligent compression.

Cultural Impact and Precedents

  • Disagreement over novelty: some see TikTok as a qualitative break (ubiquity, mobile, relentless optimization); others say it’s just TV/MTV/Vine/Twitter with faster cars.
  • Several invoke Debord / “spectacle” ideas: algorithms reorganize social life around image consumption and advertising, not genuine connection.
  • Concerns raised about recommendation feeds normalizing violence and antisocial behavior.
  • A minority report personally beneficial TikTok use via carefully curated educational/creative feeds, arguing it’s a tool with both harms and uses.

Personal Strategies and Aesthetics

  • Many avoid TikTok entirely, block Shorts/Reels, or ban shorts at home; some delete multiple social apps and report feeling happier and more productive.
  • Strong dislike of vertical video is common, especially on larger screens; others accept it as natural for one-handed phone use.