Consequence of Habit
Join JT, host of the Consequence of Habit Podcast, as he explores how habits relate to happiness and success or lack thereof. Each Tuesday, JT pulls the curtains back on his own habits, good and bad, and talks to others who have made massive changes in their lives by changing their habits.
Consequence of Habit
Addictive Algorithms: Riley Colford on Social Media Detox, Mental Health, and the Policy Fight for Our Attention
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If you’ve ever opened your phone “for a second” and lost 45 minutes, this episode is for you. JT sits down with Riley Colford, a University of Delaware public policy student days away from graduating, to hear about a capstone project that hits straight at the intersection of habits, addiction, and agency.
Riley walks through what they found researching addictive social media design (think casino mechanics: infinite scroll, no stopping cues), what happened when they all did a one-week detox, and why it revealed something deeper than “bad discipline.” They also dig into the messy reality of policy: what the government can and can’t do, the First Amendment limits, and why advocacy and awareness may be the most realistic next step. This is a rare conversation that’s both personal and systems-level, and it’ll make you look at your screen time differently.