We all know how the modern Web2 social media platforms have transformed how we connect, share, and consume information. In the beginning it was great, we loved it! However, with time the things started to change. Nowadays, their design often prioritizes engagement and ad revenue over user well-being. This results in psychological exploitation, leading to addiction, mental health issues, and decreased real-world interactions. The very systems that were meant to bring us together are often the same ones pushing us further into isolation, stress, and an endless cycle of comparison.

What are the issues with the current social media design, how it harms humans, and how these issues can be avoided when designing the web3 social media and especially Farcaster/Warpcast? I will try to list some most important ones and invite you to add to to the list, comment, and share your opinion:

1. Infinite Scroll: The Endless Trap

Infinite scroll is one of the most effective techniques platforms use to keep users engaged far beyond their original intention. When content is endlessly available, our brains struggle to set limits, leading to excessive screen time, procrastination, and reduced productivity. The ease of just swiping up for the next post creates an illusion of effortless consumption while draining hours from our day.

Solution: Design social media with natural stopping points. Introduce page-based navigation or gentle reminders to take breaks. Instead of making it effortless to keep scrolling, encourage users to reflect and take intentional actions.

2. Echo Chambers and Filter Bubbles

Social media algorithms are designed to maximize engagement by showing users content they already agree with. While this may seem harmless, it reinforces biases, limits exposure to diverse perspectives, and deepens ideological divisions. The result? A world where users live in separate realities, rarely encountering viewpoints that challenge their beliefs, leading to greater societal polarization.

Solution: Ethical algorithm design that prioritizes diversity, challenges biases, and encourages critical thinking rather than reinforcing existing beliefs. A well-balanced feed should introduce new perspectives, not just confirm existing ones.

3. Doomscrolling and Negative Reinforcement

Social media platforms have mastered the art of leveraging negative emotions to drive engagement. Doomscrolling - the compulsive consumption of distressing news, has become an all-too-common behavior. Fear, anger, and anxiety keep users hooked, scrolling for more bad news, even when it worsens their mental state. The algorithms know that negativity spreads faster and generates more engagement than positive content, so they amplify the worst of humanity.

Solution: Promote positive and constructive content. Implement content moderation strategies that highlight solutions rather than just problems. Encourage platforms to serve content that helps users take meaningful action rather than just feel helpless.

4. The Ad-Driven Engagement Economy

Social media giants profit from engagement, not well-being. More screen time equals more ads, which means more revenue. This business model ensures that platforms are incentivized to keep users scrolling, regardless of the psychological toll. As long as advertising dollars depend on attention metrics, users will continue to be seen as products rather than people.

Solution: Move away from ad-driven models and toward user-centric monetization strategies, such as tokenized rewards for valuable contributions. A system that rewards meaningful interactions rather than mindless engagement can shift the entire dynamic.

5. Privacy Exploitation

Users’ personal data is harvested, sold, and exploited without full transparency or consent. Every action, like, and comment is tracked to refine targeted advertising models. This data is often used in ways users never intended, leading to breaches, manipulation, and the erosion of digital privacy.

Solution: Data sovereignty. Users should own and control their data, deciding how and when it is used. Transparency should be the default, not an afterthought.

Is Web3 Repeating the Same Mistakes?

While Web3 offers a unique chance to redefine social media, many emerging platforms are still falling into the same engagement traps as their Web2 predecessors. Instead of prioritizing meaningful interactions, real-world connections, and user empowerment, some Web3 social media projects are simply replicating the attention-driven models they claim to disrupt. Features like infinite scroll, algorithmic feeds optimized for engagement, and tokenized incentives that reward quantity over quality risk creating a new wave of addictive behaviors.

If Web3 is to truly liberate users from the psychological manipulation of traditional platforms, it must move beyond superficial decentralization and reimagine the very principles that govern social interactions. The challenge is not just in shifting power away from corporations but in ensuring that the technology itself is designed to enhance human well-being rather than exploit it.

A Web3 Social Media Designed for Growth

Web3 provides the opportunity to break free from these harmful design choices and create a platform that fosters self-improvement, real-world connections, and ethical engagement. Here’s how:

1. An Interactive Information Wall

Instead of infinite scroll, Web3 social media should function like an interactive bulletin board. Users check in, get useful information, and leave. This reduces compulsive engagement and promotes intentional use. Imagine a platform where every interaction is designed to add value to your life rather than extract value from your attention.

2. Encouraging Self-Improvement

After a few posts, the platform should suggest meaningful actions, such as:

• Links to educational resources tailored to the user’s interests.

• Tips for physical and mental well-being based on scientifically backed methods.

• Invitations to local community events or real-world meetups, encouraging users to engage beyond the screen.

3. Fostering Real-World Connections

Instead of trapping users in digital bubbles, Web3 social media can encourage:

• Local meetups and offline interactions based on shared interests.

• Event suggestions tailored to personal and professional growth.

• A shift from passive consumption to active participation in real-world communities.

4. Ethical Algorithm Design

• Promote content that enriches understanding rather than fuels outrage.

• Ensure diverse viewpoints are surfaced rather than reinforcing biases.

• Limit manipulative engagement tactics like streaks and public like counts.

• Shift from engagement-based metrics to value-based metrics, rewarding meaningful interactions rather than mindless scrolling.

5. User-Owned Data & Monetization

• Users own their data and control how it’s used.

• Monetization models reward meaningful contributions, not attention addiction.

• No centralized entity profiting from user exploitation.

• Blockchain-backed transparency ensures that users have complete visibility into how their data is used and monetized.

A Future Where Social Media Serves Us

Web3 social media presents a radical shift: a platform that doesn’t trap us but empowers us. By integrating intentional design, ethical engagement, and real-world value, we can redefine digital interaction. The goal is not to create a platform that users can’t put down, but one that they use purposefully - and then step away from to engage with the world.

The future of social media is not about keeping users online - it’s about helping them grow.

Now is the time to build. Wherever you are, builder, content creator, and everyone involved with Farcaster have a part to play in this transition. Let’s shape a future where technology serves us - not the other way around.