One of the things I noticed while using social networks is that there are some recurring patterns. People on social media will always try to get your attention.

And when that happens I feel like I’m being attacked every time I spot this, as if they’re targeting me in a way.

For example, lately on X, there have been people saying, “X (product) can do WHAT?” That is a way to gather attention from the reader.
There are also fake images generated with AI showing a scenario that targets Italian people, with famous TV people involved in some kind of fake scandal.

On Facebook, you scroll and see videos of people showing how some things are bad for your health or whatever. They use the same methods. They use fear. They try to scare you, or they try to lure you into thinking this is the solution to all of your problems.

What I do believe is that we’re amplifiers when we scroll and interact with this content. After all, we react to it in one way or another and they’re aiming for our gut reactions. I hate to admit this, but they’re good at this and more often than not, they get me.

It’s like when you’re trying to buy a car or want to change your insurance company. Every person you interact with will try to sell you something. Depending on where you live, you can quickly see some patterns across people. Some people will feel more honest. Some people will feel like they’re using the same playbook against you to seal the deal.

Once you start understanding these behaviors and techniques, they become more apparent when you see them. You can spot them, and you feel like they’re trying to trick you. You will also feel a little bit disappointed, because you would expect more from humans. But guess what? We all need to pay the bills, and some people are more prone to use playbooks than others.

The same structure applies when you scrolling.
Either you start noticing, or you don’t. That’s the key.

Being aware of what happens, and of how you react to that information, is a really important skill. It teaches you things about your emotions you wouldn’t be instantly aware of if you didn’t think about it.

So my invite to you, if you’re reading this far, is to scroll more slowly next time and try to think about your emotions, especially when you pause on some content.

Once you start understanding which tricks they’re using, you’re more likely to know how to scroll forward, how to ignore that piece of content, and how to know when somebody is tricking you into an emotion, forcing an emotion on you.

That is your have the chance to protect your attention and become aware of who’s trying to control it.