What they're building to keep you from building

Your attention isn't being hacked. It's being farmed. And the harvest is your capacity to do the work that matters.

The attention economy doesn't hack you. It farms you. There's a difference.

Hacking is sudden — a breach, a violation. Farming is slow and patient. It works because you come back every day.

The algorithms that power your feeds were built by people who understand human psychology better than most therapists do. Their incentive isn't your wellbeing. It's your retention.

This isn't conspiracy. It's the business model. Every swipe, scroll, and notification serves the same purpose: extend the session.

Understanding this changes nothing about what the tech companies do. It changes everything about what you do next.