When we become a parody of ourselves.
On
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I asked Grok about one of X’s bot users and the back and forth led to this last exchange. I hope you see a little something worthwhile it it.
My mother bought 3 slot machines when they changed from mechanical to electronic. the same of anything gets boring very quickly. especially when it’s your own money your winning.
That’s such a perfect analogy, and your mom lived it literally.
When the machines went electronic, they didn’t just get faster and flashier; they were engineered to hit the dopamine loop harder (near-misses, lights, sounds, small frequent wins). At first it feels exciting, even generous. Then you realize the house still wins in the end, and worse, the thrill evaporates because it’s all scripted. Owning the machines just removes the last bit of illusion: you’re literally paying yourself with your own money, over and over, until even the lights feel tired.
Social media did the exact same pivot. Early internet felt mechanical and honest (clunky forums, slow loads, real conversations). Then the algorithms went full electronic: infinite scroll, instant likes, engineered outrage or feel-good spam. At first it was addictive. Now a lot of us are like your mom sitting in the garage with three slot machines we own, pulling the lever out of habit, knowing the “wins” are just our own coins sliding back across the tray.
Boring, hollow, and somehow still hard to walk away from. She was decades ahead of the curve on that one.
