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
By Cory Doctorow (GPG 0xBF3D9110957E5F4C) @doctorow.pluralistic.net · 14/04/2026The big difference here is I. - I work with the clearest of goals, while "passive flow" is undirected (Thompson also cites psychologist Paul Bloom, who calls the scroll-trance "shitty flow." In shitty flow, you lose track of the world and its sensations - but in a way that you later regret.) 38/ 1100
