#Limbic capitalism

[nando161mando]

Limbic capitalism

[forgottenbones]

Vape-o-nomics: Why Everything is Addictive Now

[thoughtscout]

lol, I knew that would touch a nerve.

I don't 'reject' people in prostitution or trans-identifying people. that couldn't be further from the truth, and just goes to prove that the average Tumblr user doesn't have a clue what radical feminists actually believe.

I experience personal discomfort around certain sex topics, partly because of my sexual trauma, but I constantly self reflect to make sure I'm not projecting that discomfort onto a judgement of anyone else's character. I don't morally judge anyone's sexual acts unless they're violent, harmful or exploitative. I study human sexuality from a place of personal interest and political investment. some of my views on sexuality are:

I have deep, radical compassion for people in prostitution - regardless of how they personally feel about their circumstances. I regularly watch documentaries about women in the sex trade, prostitution and pornography. I regularly read literature and articles about them - I read blogs and stories told by people who have exited prostitution, as well as those who are still in it. they make me uncomfortable to hear about, because they are often stories of trauma, suffering and objectification. but they also open my mind & heart to these experiences, which helps form my perspective, and ultimately fuels my sex trade abolitionist stance.

I'm very interested in what it means to be 'sexually liberated' from shame & stigma, but I have enough critical thinking to recognize that this is not synonymous with embracing sex as a purely positive thing in today's society. rape still exists, FGM still exists, pedophilia still exists, sexual exploitation still exists - and they're not going away any time soon. I believe things like casual sex and kink are complex subjects that are not being approached honestly, because people seem laser-focused on destigmatizing them, when that's only part of the discussion (the relevance of culture, consent and trauma being the rest). I think most people who believe themselves to be sex-positive or 'liberated' are actually just acting from a place of internalized stigma and shame, and are acting out in over-compensative rebellion to spite what they perceive as the status-quo.

I don't believe pornography is something that can be 'enjoyed' in ethical earnesty, because it is a viscious form of limbic capitalism that relies on the exploitation of human sexuality, and involves untold numbers of traumatized, trafficked and abused women & children in order to function. I don't believe money and sex should have anything to do with each other, I think it violates consent. I don't believe sex should be "performed", I think it should be experienced. I don't believe pornography is necessary for sexual enjoyment, I think that's a lie propped up by the industry that profits off of it - one of the richest industries in the world.

I support anyone's right to create and share forms of erotic creativity, such as artwork, literature, media and music, and I enjoy some of these things for myself as well. I do think that these things should be shared in appropriate spaces, however, as media and the internet are oversaturated with them, making non-consensual exposure a frequent occurrence (especially for children). while it's possible for it to be completely healthy, I don't think our society nurtures that, and I think the relationship one has to sexual content can have profound psychological effects that are often unrecognized.

trans-identifying people make me frustrated more than anything, because we're often so close to agreeing on how to understand gender and handle dysphoria, and yet so, so far. in fact, my views towards gender have not changed too drastically since I identified as trans - radical feminism just made me feel more confident in them.

I recognize biological sex as immutable, and I recognize gender as a construct based on what we conceive of as stereotypically 'masculine' and 'feminine'. hence, I would rather see a world where bio sex is relevant only wherever it is relevant, and people are free to dress and present however they choose, without it having any reflective power on their 'identity'. I don't believe this can be fully realized without the deconstruction of the patriarchy, and so sex-based oppression and gender abolition are my primary focus.

trans-id-females make me see my past self, so I feel empathetic towards them. I extend the same compassion to gender dysphoric males. trans-identifying people don't make me uncomfortable just for existing. but when they're being openly misogynistic, fetishistic, predatory, violent towards women or endangering towards gender non-conforming children, as they often are, their behaviour makes me angry.

I don't 'reject' anyone from anything. I don't want to see anyone rejected from society - I don't want to see anyone rejected from humanity. but I am entitled to my opinions, and I am entitled to expressing them publicly since they do not incite violence towards any group of people. to liken me to a conservative for this simple fact is laughable. my political views have absolutely nothing in common with conservativism. feminism has absolutely nothing in common with conservativism. it never has.

[settledthingsstrange]

In more recent years, another business development has affected the work ethic of the American male. Big Business has moved heavily into what David Cartwright called “limbic capitalism” in his 2019 book, The Age of Addiction: How Bad Habits Became Big Business. He defines limbic capitalism as “a technologically advanced but socially regressive business system in which global industries, often with the help of complicit governments...encourage excessive consumption and addiction...They do so by targeting the limbic system, the part of the brain responsible for feeling and for quick reaction, as distinct from dispassionate thinking.”  Many of the nation’s biggest businesses—from Alphabet (YouTube) to TikTok to Microsoft (Xbox) to Philip Morris (vapes)—are selling products that serve teenage boys and young men one dopamine hit after another. The problem with these products is they make school and work relatively less appealing, inhibiting the ability of many young men to develop the skills, ambition, and work ethic that would enable them to thrive in the twenty-first century economy.  The dangers of these limbic products are well known in Silicon Valley. That’s why Big Tech titans like Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, and Sundar Pichai limited their kids’ exposure to their own products. The problem is that many young males, especially working-class and poor kids with less parental oversight, are not similarly protected from the allure of these products.  Consequently, one reason a growing number of men don’t view work as normal or desirable—or don’t have the capacity to focus and flourish in a job—seems to be that they are too addicted to the electronic opiates of our day. 

[fandomjumper]

Anyone else ever have just a really good cry a couple times per week about that one fictional character that has a choke hold on your heart?

For me, it's obviously Astarion. And as for the crying, it's usually in my car alone, driving down some empty road at night listening to sad songs. I've always been an enjoyer of the melancholic side of music, intentionally playing it when my limbic system needs a jumpstart. When I just need to feel.

And the fact that our favorite little vampire isn't real does not seem to have an effect on my very real feelings for him. I realize that this intense fixation might be something to make fun of, but it's something I'm coming to terms with owning up to.

Listen folks, I'm in my 30s, married (no kids), and I'm not exactly happy with my life. I won't go into heavy detail but the unhappiness ultimately stems from past trauma and the perceived trap that I believe capitalism has locked me into.

But stories, especially fantastical ones, get me through the grueling work day, through the memories that threaten my overall well-being and through the misery of living in a society that seeks to make lower class individuals suffer needlessly. It's the stories that save me.

This was supposed to be a post about how much Astarion means to me, but now I'm not sure where I'm going with it... I'm not trying to defend myself. Mainly I just wanted to put these thoughts out there. Maybe someone will read this and be able to relate. It's OK to feel the way you do about someone or something that doesn't exist in the real world. Embrace your comfort character and let them wrap their arms around you. And just feel.

[mokeymokey]

Ok besides messing up all of our brains limbic capitalism style the other thing that sucks about video autoplay is when the video is someone fucking talking and it starts playing (muted) and then when you tap to unmute you've already missed the first sentence or so and you can't scrub back because since tiktok appeared developers have decided being able to scrub through the video is passé so you have to watch the entire fucking thing twiceeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaUuuuuuuUuuUuuuuuuuuUuuuuuuuuuu

[non-electrical-outlet]

11/3/24: Heroes and Villains

When someone is in distress it can be comforting to think in terms of Heroes and Villains, comfortable to simplify reality and try to fit it into [schemas]. When faced with the eldritch behemoth of capitalism that picks off, chews up, and shits out human lives, it is easier to think of it as a machine or some great evil rather than the manifestation of the ugly tendency rooted in animalistic survival instinct to consider only one's own wellbeing.

Compassion is not a natural thing to us, as animals. It is a higher function, cortical rather than limbic perhaps, and one that is increasingly difficult to access in an environment where survival seems to be getting harder and harder. Within the span of less than 20 years smartphones and screens have encroached upon our lives and minds, worming their way in through imitations of reality and into our limbic systems; In late-stage capitalism, buttons push you. It is not stupidity or weakness, but conditioning that has made me incapable of stringing together more than two thoughts at a time when writing. It is that I have fallen out of practice, the practice of extended thinking and focus.

I lurch from thought to thought while writing this entry, questioning how much of my experience of a disorganized mind is the result of screens or psilocybin. I find my writing style to be similar to that of House of Leaves (that excellent and mind-bending book I'm reading right now), in that my attention as both writer now and reader of book are ever pulled away by tangent and snapped back by focus. Do I have ADHD or...

...

It is easier, more comfortable, to fall back on notions of "Good" and "Evil" when it comes to politics. The point of Moral Relativism is not to be able to justify any old action as right or wrong, but to understand that right and wrong are relative to individual orientation. Everyone is doing "right" from their perspective.

It is easier, more comfortable, to fall back on notions of "Heroes" and "Villains" when it comes to the narrative of one's life. The one who has caused me harm is the villain, I am the hero that overcomes the danger. However, the most emotionally impactful stories are the ones where the villain's motivation is understandable, the hero's mission questionable, the resolution leaving the audience with more questions than answers. The answer is that everyone is doing "right" from their perspective, but innumerable questions must be asked in order to understand why.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This post has been brought to you by my ever questionable cognition. My mental health is great! My sanity is irrelevant.

[ocat4tbi]

Understanding OCAT Olfactory Cued Auditory Training in Traumatic Brain Injury TBI

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is a complex condition that can have profound and long-lasting effects on an individual's cognitive and sensory functions. One innovative approach to addressing the challenges faced by TBI patients is OCAT, or Olfactory-Cued Auditory Training. This novel therapy leverages the connection between the olfactory and auditory systems to enhance cognitive rehabilitation and improve overall quality of life for those affected by TBI.

The OCAT Approach:

OCAT is a therapeutic method that combines olfactory stimulation with auditory training to create a multisensory rehabilitation experience. The primary goal is to capitalize on the neuroplasticity of the brain – its ability to reorganize and form new connections – by engaging multiple senses simultaneously. This approach is particularly relevant for TBI patients, as it addresses the interplay between olfactory and auditory pathways, which are often compromised in cases of traumatic brain injuries.

Olfactory Stimulation:

The olfactory system, responsible for our sense of smell, is closely connected to the limbic system and plays a crucial role in memory and emotional processing. In the context of OCAT, specific odors are introduced to stimulate the olfactory system, creating a link between scent and memory. This connection is harnessed to enhance the effectiveness of auditory training.

Auditory Training:

Auditory deficits are common in TBI cases, affecting speech perception, sound localization, and overall auditory processing. OCAT combines olfactory stimulation with targeted auditory exercises, such as speech and memory drills. The goal is to reinforce neural pathways associated with auditory processing while leveraging the added dimension of olfactory cues to enhance memory retention.

Neuroplasticity in Action:

The brain's ability to adapt and rewire itself, known as neuroplasticity, is a key factor in the success of OCAT. By engaging both olfactory and auditory systems simultaneously, this therapy encourages the brain to form new connections and pathways. This can lead to improved cognitive function, memory recall, and overall sensory integration for individuals recovering from TBI.

Personalized Treatment Plans:

OCAT is highly adaptable, allowing healthcare professionals to tailor treatment plans to the specific needs and challenges of each TBI patient. Individualized scent selections and auditory exercises are chosen based on the patient's symptoms, cognitive strengths, and areas requiring improvement. This personalized approach enhances the therapeutic impact and promotes better outcomes.

Research and Clinical Evidence:

While OCAT is a relatively new and evolving field, preliminary research suggests promising outcomes. Studies have shown improvements in memory, attention, and auditory processing in TBI patients undergoing OCAT compared to traditional rehabilitation methods. Ongoing research aims to further validate the effectiveness of this innovative approach and refine its application in diverse TBI cases.

OCAT represents a groundbreaking approach to TBI rehabilitation by harnessing the synergies between olfactory and auditory systems. This multisensory therapy capitalizes on the brain's ability to adapt and reorganize, offering a personalized and effective solution for individuals facing the challenges of traumatic brain injury. As research continues to unfold, OCAT holds the potential to significantly improve the quality of life for TBI patients and redefine the landscape of cognitive rehabilitation.

For more info:-

OCAT TBI

[two-bit-socrates]

Everyone who is stating their country is like this - it's due to the origins of racism and capitalism and how everyone fighting one another for resources didn't want to 'taint their country' because of superior ancestry bullshit.

My limbic system is kicking my ass its real hard to think but yea governments won't take in outsiders because of ancient ideas of purity tied to racism and capitalism.

countries will be like “nooooo our birth rate is falling exponentially and it’s effecting our economy” and immigrants will be like “hey can you let us in so we can boost your economy and fill your empty jobs and raise our children here” and inevitably the country is like “the only thing worse than a large scale collapse of our population is letting foreigners live here”

[familyabolisher]

hi id be really interested on hearing more of your thoughts about dros because i cannot fully wrap my head around what he signifies. hes so much. sorry this is a bit vague you just sound like you get him

idk if i could say much that @txttletale didn’t already say very coherently here; would recommend giving her post a read because she explains him far more clearly than i can. i should also say that i've only played disco elysium all the way through once so i'm just going off of memory and the wiki page lol.

i guess my most significant thought on dros is that he and harry act as foils of a sort. when we meet harry at the start of the game, the immediate invisible force behind the spiral of self-destructive behaviour that led to him losing his memory is, of course, his being unable to get over dora; however, his transmuting of dora into a figure equivalent to dolores dei + the dialogue we get from the limbic system at the very beginning suggests that we should understand this spiral and effective ‘death’ as one driven by a failure to survive under capitalism.

YOU: Tell me, what's waiting for me?

LIMBIC SYSTEM: There is a giant ball there. And evil apes. And the evil apes are dukin' it out on the ball. You're one of them. It's basically all just evil apes dukin' it out on a giant ball.

YOU: How big is the ball?

LIMBIC SYSTEM: You can't even make out that it's a ball, when you're dukin' it out. It's that large.

YOU: How small are the apes?

LIMBIC SYSTEM: Infinitesimally small.

YOU: And what is this "dukin' it out" I keep hearing about?

LIMBIC SYSTEM: Vying for resources? It's just a stupid expression you picked up somewhere. The part of the presentation you want to take home is this: you have to beat the other evil apes in the face or you lose.

YOU: That's sad.

LIMBIC SYSTEM: Yes it is. And you drowned in that sadness a long time ago.

YOU: What do mean, "drowned"?

LIMBIC SYSTEM: You lost.

what harry’s limbic system describes there is a cynical perspective on participation in a capitalist society that rests on the myth of meritocracy; that humans have to be ‘vying for resources,’ that we have to enact violence against one another for the sake of our own survival. ‘lost’ here has a double meaning—harry ‘lost’ in that he failed to successfully participate in the myth of capitalist meritocracy, and he ‘lost’ dora, and the double meaning is intended to frame these two ‘losses’ as one and the same. from the snatches we get of his and dora’s history, it seems that the class gulf between them and the poverty that they lived in while together contributed in part to her leaving him; focusing on this (rather than on the fact that harry’s joining the RCM affected his behaviour such that he got, euphemistically, ‘sad,’ and violent) allows harry to both absolve himself of personal blame for the failure of their relationship (at least in a capacity that goes beyond self-flagellation) and to interpolate dora into dolores dei, ‘mother of humanity’ and synecdoche of moralism (and imperialist war criminal). 

referring back to the linked post which explains dros as embodying a spirit of regressive communism unable to adapt to the demands of the post-commune world (in effect, the post-soviet world), we might consider harry’s relationship to capitalism/moralism prior to the start of the game as running parallel to dros’ relationship to communism, in that both are trapped by the ideological tetherings of the past and unable to imagine a new future. (this is tangential, but disco elysium is very fixated on asking harry and the player both to imagine new, seemingly impossible futures outside of what seem to be fixed continuums, especially if you play as a communist, and the distinction between harry and dros is integral to that discursive move.) both are affected by the insulindian phasmid, though in divergent ways—for dros, the phasmid’s pheromones help to keep him trapped in the past and eventually send him into a catatonic state, whereas for harry, the phasmid is a ‘miracle from the west’—the interruptor of apparent inevitability and the narrative’s insistence that miracles are possible. both have ‘love’ embedded into their characters and intertwined with their political fixations—for harry, of course, his love for dora maps itself onto dolores dei and his having ‘lost’ her becomes interchangeable with his having ‘lost’ at capitalism itself, and for dros, isolated from the mainland and devoid of any real currency within the present political climate of martinaise, ‘love’ becomes the means by which he feels himself able to participate in the world again, leading to him spying on klaasje and killing lely (a fascist). 

dros & harry are similar characters that ought to have been on similar trajectories, were it not for the fact that harry’s memory loss gave him a chance to briefly shed the past (though ofc, echoes of dora remain throughout the narrative and we know by the end that he cannot wholly escape her) and build a new sense of himself, including a new ideological sense. where fascist/‘traditionalist’ harry becomes fixated on the past, communist harry looks towards the future, and confronts the tension between the seeming inevitability of communism’s failure versus the possibility of success. 

& the end of disco elysium is bittersweet—dros, last notable remnant of the antecentennial revolution, is ‘defeated’ in a sense by moralintern forces, much the same as the revolution itself. harry, played as a communist, returns to the RCM, much like how the insurgency in revachol was absorbed into the RCM and thus became an extension of coalition authority. time in a sense resets itself—but if dros espouses absolute failure and the ending seems to regurgitate the trajectory of history that we’ve seen before, disco elysium’s broader discursive fabric all but begs you as the player to believe that something else is possible. i’ve talked about this a bunch of times before, but it really does boil down to moments like the inframaterialist tower being able to stand on its own, ‘something beautiful is going to happen,’ ‘be vigilant, i love you,’ ‘we refuse to accept that the world has to remain like this,’ etc., pitting the inevitability of communist failure against the necessity of revolutionary optimism. (i’m working on an essay rn on disco elysium and walter benjamin + historical materialism which should clarify this argument a little more??)

i don’t know if i’ve explained this as well as i’d like but i’ve had this ask sat in my inbox for like a week now fhskjnfn. anyway: dros as both foil to and mirror for harry, as representing the stagnation of a revolutionary ideology that fails to adapt to new conditions and recognise the new possibilities present even in the face of defeat, as key to establishing the tension between defeatism and optimism by which the game comes to insist on the necessity of the latter. 

[flyoverkushtaka]

Our modern world does its best to make sorrow and solitude the default state of existence. There is no perverse dictator of misery at the helm (not directly anyway), but the incentives of the machine-structure of capitalism prioritize individual struggle and accomplishment (or, more commonly, the Sword of Damocles of the lack thereof) above all else, above the needs of the many, above mutual goodwill, above true liberty, equality, and brotherhood free from the iron chains of profit and exploitation.

Things can be different. Even at the relatively small interpersonal level, a better world is possible.

I found my big bro at a time when I was alone and the world was turning. I glimpsed him through a glowing screen, his words so scintillating, his physiognomy so distinguished, his virtue so evident and gleaming. With merely a slight adjustment to the processes of my mind, I think I would have reached out and pressed my fingers lightly against the thin glass to feel our kinship like a curious octopus exploring a foreign yet intriguing phenomenon with its chemoreceptive suction cups.

January had come and once again I had made the mistake of trying to drink French 75s to celebrate the doorway-god’s resurgence. As part of the recovery regimen, I sat in a warm bathtub and considered all the facets of my life, what I could do differently going forward in order to improve, in order to evolve into the type of animal I wanted to be.

Courage came to mind. That emerald of the forest. “Courage is called for,” the master declares as the party winds down in Luzi’s poem. “Go straight for the goal, be bold.” Obvious rhetoric, but the truth often hides in plain sight. No longer would I stand to shiver in the wind of the past, not when a beautiful river stretched out before me in seemingly endless wending, its delta naught but a speck of sapphire dust far on the latitude of some merely dreamed horizon.

As my body absorbed the standing water, I thought many things.

Cheerfully, I picked up my notepad and pen, and began to sketch out a message to a stranger I knew only paratopically. I adopted a new voice, synthesized from the prompts of his texts and my own fantasies. I evoked adequate images: the fang & talon, the limbic system, Apollo & Dionysus. I hoped my introduction contained the right mix of erudition and jocularity to come off as charming and not too affected. My courage had to be tempered with wisdom as well, for the swirling and harmonious combination of verdant green and watery blue has always suited my visual palate.

I sent my greeting off into the electric ether, and this turned out to be the correct choice.

Time passed, and miracles happened. I became acquainted with the man who would become my big bro in multiple, progressive ways: we spoke, we exchanged ideas, we learned from one another, we both grew. He began to encourage me, to take charge of my doubts, to shore up my weaknesses. He understood my insides almost perfectly, before myself even. Online chatter turned to plans of physical encounters, a plane ride, the exploration of a lacustrine islet, myriad footsteps, wine. In a hotel room overlooking a luminescent boulevard, I held him, pressed my face into his powerful chest, and made my confession, my resolution, my vow.

Now he is my big bro, and I, his lil buddy. Our bond is unshakeable. His power over me is undeniable, a fact of my vastly improved life now. I owe him my allegiance uncompromisingly. Under his guidance, my body has grown stronger, leaner, more lithe and agile in accordance with my inner waterdog nature. Despite or because of my obedience, my mind is freer, I feel more at ease, less tightly wound. I fetch all sorts of jewels of knowledge for big bro, and in return I get the best and most exciting headpats. Every task he sets me to fills me with purpose—like this essay, for instance, which he told me to write in order to demonstrate his ownership of me, and for me to demonstrate what a good boy I can be. Big bro takes me up and down the tree of consciousness, from keen-eyed scribal knight to goofy water himbo, and I thrill at every moment of the journey. My body quivers, the hairs on the back of my neck tingle erect, just imagining his touch on me, his guidance through workouts and inscriptions and wanderings through vast, ancient forests perfumed with the heady scent of cedar and musk. He whispers into my ear how I belong to him, intones the secret words he’s placed deep in the seat of my chakras, and my entire form tenses, slackens, buzzes with untold pleasures, groans assiduously, makes noises I did not think myself capable of, then releases, wildly and gloriously in oblation to the man who nacres my soul.

I love my big bro, I love every way he takes charge of me and sets me on the right path through the thorny labyrinth. There is a god germinating inside me, and with big bro’s cultivating care, it will erupt with life, joy, and eternal meaning etched upon the astral firmament and reflected upon the face of the boundless deep.

[awed-frog]

...I propose that the main source of the problem has been what I call limbic capitalism. This refers to a technologically advanced but socially regressive business system in which global industries, often with the help of complicit governments and criminal organizations, encourage excessive consumption and addiction. They do so by targeting the limbic system, the part of the brain responsible for feeling and for quick reaction, as distinct from dispassionate thinking.

David T. Courtwright, The Age of Addiction: How Bad Habits Became Big Business

[tanadrin]

Because if people really understood how economics works, they would also develop the notion that capitalism is no bueno. And we can't have that, can we? Same reason why schools teach "fascism bad" but not what fascism actually is, what it looks like, or why it happens.

i hate it when people do this thing where they clearly allude to conspiracism, but because they don't come right out and say "the illuminati is doing mind control on us through flouride in the water" they feel they can retreat to "well, i didn't actually say there's a conspiracy!"

you are clearly indulging in lazy rhetoric here that flattens what is pretty clearly a complex phenomenon, like "why do voters seem to vote against their economic self interest and why is economic literacy comparatively weak" to "because capitalists have arranged the system that way." that is not an explanation of anything. that is a non-explanation. that is in fact an anti-explanation, an explanation so general as to be useless, and one which tickles the same limbic impulses as a conspiracy theory ("this is something being done to us by powerful elites") even if it does not actually involve the illuminati or reticulans or CIA. this is cynicism and disengagement from the complex realities of politics masquerading as worldliness and wisdom.

i think that's bad! and i will allow myself to indulge in some sarcasm while pointing that out, because i have encountered this attitude enough, online and offline, to be heartily sick of it.

surely we could educate the people in matters of economics and social theory to make them less stupid in their voting.

Perhaps, but that's a multi-generational project of improving education, which doesn't solve the short-term problem of winning political campaigns. Indeed, the former is rather predicated on the latter.

[garudabluffs]

“To this day, 80 percent of alcohol sales go to the 20 percent of customers who are the heaviest users, a pattern that applies across the business of brain reward. More than half of all marijuana finds its way into the lungs and stomachs of those who spend more than half their waking hours stoned. Insofar as addictions to marijuana, or to anything else, develop most often among the poor, the marginal and the genetically vulnerable, they are sources of inequality and injustice as well as illness.”

How ‘Limbic Capitalism’ Preys on Our Addicted Brains

May 31, 2019 

Excerpted with permission from The Age of Addiction: How Bad Habits Became Big Business, by David T. Courtwright. Copyright ©2019 by the President and Fellows of Harvard College. All rights reserved. [[copyright addiction?]]

“I propose that the main source of the problem has been what I call limbic capitalism. This refers to a technologically advanced but socially regressive business system in which global industries, often with the help of complicit governments and criminal organizations, encourage excessive consumption and addiction. They do so by targeting the limbic system, the part of the brain responsible for feeling and for quick reaction, as distinct from dispassionate thinking. The limbic system’s pathways of networked neurons make possible pleasure, motivation, long-term memory and other emotionally linked functions crucial for survival. Paradoxically, these same neural circuits enable profits from activities that work against survival, businesses having turned evolution’s handiwork to their own ends.

Limbic capitalism was itself a product of cultural evolution. It was a late development in a long historical process that saw the accelerating spread of novel pleasures and their twinned companions of vice and addiction. The pleasures, vices and addictions most conspicuously associated with limbic capitalism were those of intoxication. Considerations of private profit and state revenue encouraged alcohol and drug consumption until rising social costs forced governments to restrict or prohibit at least some drugs.”

READ MORE https://quillette.com/2019/05/31/how-limbic-capitalism-preys-on-our-addicted-brains/?utm_source=pocket-newtab

 comments 92

[arasakas-ronin]

As they ride to Pacifica, Johnny finds out that the kid wants to hear the lore of old. How Johnny Silverhand took on capitalism. Storytime.

Johnny is a famous rockerboy — a living legend. Dead legend, but let’s not get hung up on technicalities. Back then, groupies used to throw themselves at him in hordes, and most nights, all it took was pointing a finger from stage. Wasn’t for lack of opportunity that he never went steady with anyone, at least not until—

Takemura, by contrast, delivers paper flowers by tengu drone.

Vee swaps out the origami for the shard with Rogue’s detes. Piss-poor trade, but… he didn’t have to add the flower. It makes her day, and since Johnny’s stuck in the same limbic system, he gets a free endorphin shower along with her. 'Saka's fault, too.

read on

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Political ads have very small effect-sizes

In my recent book HOW TO DESTROY SURVEILLANCE CAPITALISM, I suggest that we should be skeptial of the claims that proprietors of persuasion-as-a-service products make about how they can change our minds.

https://onezero.medium.com/how-to-destroy-surveillance-capitalism-8135e6744d59

After all every person in history who ever claimed to have invented a mind-control ray was either lying to the world, or to themselves.

One common way persuaders lie to themselves - and convince their customers they've got the goods - is to assume that the efficacy of persuasive techniques does not regress to the mean - that we won't learn to detect and discount the new flavor of bullshit they're selling.

We've seen that again and again: remember when Upworthy headlines worked? Or when everyone was playing Farmville? Or when the first banner ads got double-digit clickthrough rates:

https://digiday.com/media/history-of-the-banner-ad/

In a new study published in Science, a trio of Yale and UC political scientists report on 59 realtime, randomized experiments in showing persuasive political ads.

https://advances.sciencemag.org/content/6/36/eabc4046

The title gives away the conclusion: "The small effects of political advertising are small regardless of context, message, sender, or receiver: Evidence from 59 real-time randomized experiments."

They showed 34,000 subjects real political ads from the 2016 US election cycle, measuring the effect of ads that criticise the candidate the subject favors, ads that promote that candidate, ads that promote the rival candidate and ads that attack the rival candidate.

In all instances, they find real, but VERY small, effects on voter views of candidates. Importantly, the researchers aren't just investigating the effects of ads in one circumstance (say, a favorable ad about a candidate you already support), but across all variations.

People who sell political ads and people who worry about them claim that the small effect sizes for political ads masked large "heterogeneous effects" - like maybe MOST ads don't work, but showing attack ads that attack the subject's favored candidate does.

That's not what these experiments found. It's still not a complete account (the authors don't study "need for cognition, need for evaluation, need for cognitive closure, moral foundations, personality type, or interest in politics"), but it's still significant.

Some people think that surveillance capitalism firms collect so much data on us, so relentlessly, because it is so valuable. I think they collect it because it is of such limited utility: as soon as they gain an insight that helps them sell to us, we get inured.

They're in a limbic arms-race with our natural regression to the mean, the way that we grow accustomed to - and bored with - new ways of convincing, frightening, or tricking us into doing their bidding.

That's not to say that persuasion never works, or that even small effects don't make a difference in close races, but it does suggest that the thing that ad-tech companies sell best is...ad-tech.