smells like airpdrops. you prolly already know all this but I found this brief recap a useful reminder of the deep roots of our hunter gatherer past
“One of the most interesting books I’ve read in recent years is Michael Easter’s *Scarcity Brain.* It’s an exploration of the sneaky ways that modern gambling platforms, marketing and social media algorithms are all built upon two weaknesses in our evolutionary programming:
- Our desire to double down on hunting and gathering when we get even a small taste of success (because it’s a clue that there might be more food in the area), and
- Our desire to gorge on rich food when it is available and stockpile resources whenever we can, even if we already have more than we need.
“As I look back now, I realize that I fell straight into those same traps, because the Vine program has all the key properties of a casino or a TikTok feed:
- Unpredictable Rewards
- The concepts of scarcity and limited time
- Fresh content every time you check back in”
https://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2025/10/06/amazon-vine-ruins-retirement/
