Platform Sweet Talk

Social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok use notifications to engage users. On average, we spend 100 minutes a day on these platforms. Digital distractions compromise our ability to think critically about complex political issues, which is an essential prerequisite for thoughtful political involvement.

Platform Sweet Talk presents the vast notification language of a major social media platform in a depersonalized form, revealing how users are continuously motivated to interact with the platform. The flashy appearance of the notifications, their coincidental timing, and their changing content stimulate the brain's reward center. This elicits reflexive reactions and shallow processing of information, which fuels the circulation of misinformation and polarizing opinions.

Platform Sweet Talk calls for a more deliberate approach to social media. While it offers a sense of belonging and access to information, it can trigger addiction, stress, shortened attention spans, and negative comparisons. The way we regulate and use these platforms impacts the direction social dynamics will take in the future.