Philosophy For the 21st Century
http://fadeyev.net/2012/05/30/philosophy-for-the-21st-century
In the same way, there is an abundance of “food” for the mind, which has been brought to us through the newspaper, the TV, and especially the Internet. Where our bodies crave sugar, our mind craves dopamine. Dopamine is a chemical that gets released in our brains in various situations, specifically when we expect some sort of reward, and when that reward is received. During the release, we experience pleasure, which is why for example when an article headline promises to reveal something fascinating, we experience a desire to read it. Food manufacturers exploit the desire for sugar by producing addictive junk food, and now various media producers are doing the same with dopamine, creating sensationalist stories and mindless entertainment to keep us watching their channel or reading their articles. Worse, this media is spreading to all sorts of mobile devices so it can get to us at all times of the day.
via @fvsch