Scientific Definition
Time-on-app is the wrong thing to maximize for users — but the right thing for revenue.
Plain-English Definition
Time-on-app is the wrong thing to maximize for users — but the right thing for revenue.
Feynman Explanation
Your phone makes money when you wish it didn't.
Core Principle
Time-on-app is the wrong thing to maximize for users — but the right thing for revenue.
Mechanisms
Pending editorial review.
Time-on-app is the wrong thing to maximize for users — but the right thing for revenue.
Pending editorial review.
Pending editorial review.
Most consumer tech is structurally adversarial to user welfare.
Pending editorial review.
Pending editorial review.
Inputs (Triggers)
Pending editorial review.
Outputs (Behaviors)
Pending editorial review.
Behavioral Signature
Your phone makes money when you wish it didn't.
Examples
- Apps optimized for compulsion, not value.
- Most consumer tech is structurally adversarial to user welfare.
Pending editorial review.
Famous Experiments
Pending editorial review.
Design Principles
- Product metrics that include user well-being, not just engagement.
Measurement Approaches
Pending editorial review.
Evidence
Pending editorial review.
Pending editorial review.
The Perverse Incentive Lens™
How this behavior is exploited — and how to redesign around it.
- Product metrics that include user well-being, not just engagement.
Pending editorial review.
Pending editorial review.
Interactive Mini Network
Click any neighbor to re-center the graph and follow the threads of connection.
Knowledge Graph Neighbors
Auto-linked to the rest of the Human Behavior Taxonomy by family, domain, dimension, and shared keywords.
Free products monetize attention, structurally aligning incentives against user time well spent.
CTR-driven distribution rewards misleading framing over accurate reporting.
Retroactive extensions privilege legacy estates over public-domain enrichment.
Per-view payouts reward volume and frequency over craft and depth.
Tax/inspection exemptions on low-value parcels subsidize a flood of unverified imports.
Revenue from behavioral targeting structurally opposes user privacy.
Ranking systems trained on engagement amplify outrage, fear, and tribal content.
Removing natural stopping cues turns intentional use into compulsive use.
Notifications calibrated for return visits, not value.
USPTO budget tied to grant fees encourages permissive examination.
DAU/MAU goals override product safety and wellbeing investments.
Notification systems hijack attention by manufacturing urgency for trivial events.