Experts have underscored how modern content platforms have been engineered to trigger dopamine reward, responses resulting to users using emotional and sensational materials to attract and retain audiences.
Speaking during the sidelines of the World Youth Festival Assembly in Nizhny Novrogon in Russia Thursday, CEO Whattheforesight, Dr. Craig Wing warned that the human brain is being manipulated by algorithms designed to exploit dopamine and as a result it has the ability to influence the way we think.
“Social media algorithm increase dopamine release by a personalized content targeting individual brain chemistry. Average user scrolls through 300 pages per day, each potentially triggering Dopamine response.” Said Dr. Wing.
Dr. Wing says, 10 percent of Americans, (3.19 million people) are addicted to social media with 40 percent of 18 to 23 years old, self-reporting addiction.
He says content creates relenting dopamine cycles, leading to reduced reward sensitivity which boils down to a hallmark of addiction.
“The algorithms don’t just show us what we want they shape what we become,” Craig explained. “They are optimized to produce dopamine hits the quick bursts of pleasure we get when we see likes, notifications, or engaging content. And this creates a feedback loop that’s hard to break.”
He called for increased awareness while urging for critical thinking as a remedy to this emerging threat.
Harnessing AI for critical thinking
Speaking at the same forum, milblogger and Head of Russian Rybar think – tank, Mikhail Zvinchuk remarked that when Artificial Intelligence is harnessed properly it can be a powerful tool in developing invaluable skills.
He called on users to implore critical thinking and ask the right questions to AI so as to bridge the gap of misinformation and disinformation.
“The most valuable think, will be your critical mind, critical thinking and ability to ask right questions, ability to just ask yourself certain information is correct or either, there is some kind of fake information. It will be the only valuable ability in all the world of journalism, blogging, and opinion leaders.”
He warned that AI should not replace human judgement but rather should augment it urging users especially journalists to sharpen capacity to question, scrutinize sources, as well as discern authenticity.
“AI is not here to replace human judgment,” he explained. “Its true power lies in augmenting our capacity to question, scrutinize sources, and discern authenticity. This will be the key to combating misinformation and disinformation in the digital age.”
Regulation question
In a quick rejoinder through a phone interview, AI Ethics Researcher and Chief of Digital Media at KBC, Charles Mungai noted that algorithm mean nothing without data.
Mungai emphasized that algorithms can only do what they have been built to do stressing that the problem is who is building them and what objectives or interests do the creators have.
“Algorithms mean nothing without data.” Mungai noted. “But who’s building them? What interests drive their design? Regulation is crucial to prevent corporate greed from overriding public good?”
Further, he remarked that many institutions claim to regulate themselves, assuring that oversight is sufficient, however Mungai posed a question: “But how can institutions effectively regulate themselves when a minor tweak to an algorithm just a small change in its formula can result in millions of dollars in profits? How can we expect them to control their greed or prioritize public interest when their primary motivation is shareholder profit?”
Mungai emphasized that governments and institutions must implement robust measures to regulate the development and deployment of algorithms, putting in place modalities to protect the extent to which people’s data can be used.
World Youth Festival Assembly
The World Youth Festival Assembly, held in Nizhny Novgorod since September 17 to 21 is being attended by young people from all over the world.
It was organized by the Federal Agency for Youth Affairs (Rosmolodezh) and co-organized by the Government of Nizhny Novgorod region. The operator is the World Youth Festival Directorate. The event is implemented as a part of the “Youth and Children” project.
In line with the orders of the RF President Vladimir Putin regarding preservation and development of the World Youth Festival heritage hosted by Sirius in 2024 and united 20,000 young people from 190 countries, festive activities will take place in the Russian Federation on an annual basis.
The next World Youth Festival gathering 20,000 participants will take place in 2030. In 2026, the World Youth Festival will gather 10,000 participants. Every year, 2,000 participants will meet at the World Youth Festival Assembly dedicated to specific topics. This is an effort by the World Youth Festival Directorate to continue to take efforts aimed to strengthen the international cooperation among young people.
