We are addicted not to what we consume, but to the chase itself. This is what tech designers understand so well: that dopamine rises in the moment of desire, not the moment of reward. Therefore, they optimize platforms to create frictionless, never-ending loops of curiosity and craving.

This idea that a drastic Internet sabbatical* is the only alternative to the distraction generated by social media and infotainment has increasingly pervaded our cultural conversation.

Because we’ve transformed the world from a place of scarcity to a place of overwhelming abundance: Drugs, food, news, gambling, shopping, gaming, texting, sexting, Facebooking, Instagramming, YouTubing, tweeting . . . the increased numbers, variety, and potency of highly rewarding stimuli today is staggering. The smartphone is the modern-day hypode