Justin Rosenstein, the Facebook engineer who created the 'like' button, has taken drastic steps to limit his own use of social media. He purchased a new iPhone and had his assistant set up parental controls to prevent him from downloading apps. Rosenstein describes Facebook 'likes' as 'bright dings of pseudo-pleasure' that can be hollow and seductive.
Rosenstein is part of a growing group of Silicon Valley heretics who helped build addictive technologies but now warn of their negative consequences. These refuseniks, often designers and engineers rather than founders, are concerned about the 'attention economy'—an internet shaped by advertising demands. Research shows people touch, swipe, or tap their phones 2,617 times a day.
Concerns include 'continuous partial attention', reduced ability to focus, and possible IQ decline. One study found that the mere presence of smartphones damages cognitive capacity, even when turned off. 'Everyone is distracted. All of the time,' Rosenstein says.
Some tech insiders draw a direct line between social media addiction and political upheavals like Brexit and the rise of Donald Trump. They argue that digital forces have upended democracy and could render it obsolete if unchecked.
Leah Pearlman, who helped create the 'like' button as a Facebook product manager, has also grown disaffected. She installed a browser plug-in to remove her news feed and hired a social media manager to monitor her page. Rosenstein notes, 'We may be the last generation that can remember life before.'
