Why do I scroll Instagram/YT endlessly?

Every day in the last two months, I thought of uninstalling Instagram and Youtube from my phone. I started realizing that it kills a significant part of my free time that could be utilized for more productive work. I am sure most of you would have felt the same at some point. But rather, I started thinking from a different perspective: what made Instagram and YouTube this important that people are addicted to them? What genius tactic did the product designers of Instagram use to develop such engaging applications?

The credit should be given to the makers for identifying the areas that can give users a dopamine rush, using it to their advantage, and building brands worth trillions with billion+ users. But how did they do it?

• Developing a habit - The genius designers of these apps have trapped us by making it our habit. Habit is a learned behavior or routine that has become automatic and is repeated regularly, often without conscious thought. The ease with which we are able to scroll through small 30 sec videos has made us get HOOKED to them. It starts with external triggers like smart and juicy notifications. With time and social investment, internal triggers like an urge to see if you have received a message from your crush, what your ex is doing, etc., make you stay on the application.
• Variable Reward: These applications mine a large amount of data about our behavior and provide us with the content we invariably want to see. Have you ever wondered why you start seeing YT shorts or reels of the place you are planning a holiday to or a gadget you are planning to buy? These applications reward you with the things that you are thinking of or want to invest your time on. They also reward you with some extra bits auxiliary to your life choices. These variable rewards help make your product take a very strong position in customer delight according to Kano model.
• Social currency: People strive more to make a public image rather than money. Users spend a significant amount of time crafting their online persona, curating their content to showcase their best selves, and seeking validation from their followers. Instagram and Snapchat have become essential tools for building and maintaining social currency, providing users with a platform to showcase their unique identity and connect with others who share their passions and interests. The pursuit of social currency has become an equally significant motivator for many individuals, particularly younger generations who have grown up in a digital world where social media is an integral part of their daily lives.

The designers of these applications have skillfully designed the applications to hook the users and make these applications a part of users' habits.

I hope you liked this small article on habit-forming products and applications. I plan to bring similar content in the coming weeks on a variety of topics like #productdesign, #b2bmarketing, #branding, etc.

Please put in your valuable thoughts and comments. Do share with product and marketing enthusiasts.

Credits: HOOKED by Nir Eyal, Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman.