The Addiction Economy

Trust thought for today - The Addiction Economy.

Me and Joe Woof are researching The Addiction Economy - which whilst I'm sure we didn't invent the term (though couldn't find it out there really), isn't yet portrayed as a deliberate business model in the same way as the Surveillance Economy, the Attention Economy and the Gig Economy.

We are all beginning to learn more about social media, computer games and app designers using behavioural insights to specifically addict people to their products, but this business model covers many more sectors.

For example, the gambling firm below (and all the others), using behavioural insights to design credit systems, gaming apps and other ploys to deliberately addict its customers. Arguably financial firms are the same, addicting people to debt.

Betting firm 888 fined £9.4m after customers lost thousands in pandemic

Opioids and of course cigarettes designed and marketed to addict their users are well known adherents to the model. Illegitimate drug dealers are old hands at this, but have now reformulated old fashioned dope to decrease the level of the fun 'high' aspect of its effect, and massively increase the chemicals which form addiction.

Any more to add to our list anyone? Roger Miles, Dr Raj Thamotheram?

The exception of course is lovely Wordle. Once a day, no back catalogue to suck you in. Just the little countdown clock telling you when you can next get your fix! Please New York Times, don't join change that winning formula and join the addiction economy with the rest.