By Cory Doctorow (GPG 0xBF3D9110957E5F4C) @doctorow.pluralistic.net · 14/04/2026Thompson cites Shishi Wu's dissertation on "Passive Flow," a term she coined to describe how teens fall into social media scroll-trances: scholarworks.umb.edu/cgi/viewcont... 35/scholarworks.umb.edu 250
By Cory Doctorow (GPG 0xBF3D9110957E5F4C) @doctorow.pluralistic.net · 14/04/2026Wu says it's a mistake to attribute the regretted hours of scrolling to addiction or a failure of self-control. Rather, the user is falling into "passive flow," a condition arising from three factors: 36/ 1111
By Cory Doctorow (GPG 0xBF3D9110957E5F4C) @doctorow.pluralistic.net · 14/04/2026I. Engagement without a clear goal; II. A loss of self-awareness - of your body and your mental state; III. Losing track of time. I instantly recognize II. and III. - they're the hallmarks of the flow states that abstract me away from my own pain when I'm working. 37/ 1171
