For a long time, we have observed with perplexity a modern paradox: the younger generations have access to the sum total of human knowledge in their pockets, a “supercomputer” capable of performing complex calculations, creating art, and connecting to any corner of the planet. However, instead of using it as a tool of power, they seem to have been subjugated by it.
To understand this phenomenon, we must analyze how the mechanism of social control has evolved, moving from the old school of ideological persuasion to a new and more dangerous frontier: biological hacking.
The Death of the Active “User”
Millennials grew up at the intersection of two worlds. They experienced the rise of Web 1.0 and 2.0, an era defined by the Economy of Intent. Back then, the computer was a “bicycle for the mind” (as Steve Jobs called it). You sat in front of the screen with a purpose: to download music, learn a code, or search for information in a forum. There was a clear subject-object relationship: the human commanded, the machine obeyed.
This process required friction. You had to know how to search, dodge viruses, install programs, and deal with frustration. Ironically, that friction was vital: it trained tolerance for frustration and problem-solving skills.
Today, that “user” is dead. They have been replaced by the “passive consumer.” Modern interfaces have eliminated any trace of friction. You no longer search for content; content searches for you. By eliminating difficulty, agency, that is, the human capacity to act of one's own free will on the environment, has atrophied.
Boomers vs. Zoomers: From Ideology to Physiology
We often compare today's passivity with the Boomers' credulity in front of the television, but there is a fundamental difference in the control mechanism.
Previous generations were controlled through ideology. Brainwashing operated on a cognitive and intellectual level. To be programmed by the 8 p.m. news, viewers had to listen to a speech, process the language, and accept a narrative (patriotism, the American dream, fear of the enemy). It was a form of “top-down” control that required some mental engagement, albeit uncritical.
The key piece we were missing to understand the present is that the model has changed dramatically: we have moved from ideological persuasion to biological hacking.
Current generations are not being persuaded with arguments; they are being conditioned through neurochemistry. Modern applications are not designed by ideologues, but under the principles of behavioral psychology, imitating Skinner boxes and slot machines.
The Tyranny of Dopamine
The TikTok or Instagram algorithm does not aim to make you right or believe in a specific political cause; its sole purpose is to hijack your limbic system. This is the quantum leap in social control:
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Variable Reward: Just like gambling, infinite scrolling offers unpredictable rewards. Sometimes it's boring, sometimes it's exciting. This intermittency generates dopamine spikes that override the will of the frontal lobe (our decision-making center).
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The Anxiety Loop: Fear of missing out (FOMO) or immediate social validation directly affect cortisol and serotonin levels.
While Boomers could turn off the TV and the influence ceased, today's devices travel with the individual, creating a constant biological feedback loop. It's not a battle of ideas; it's a battle for physiological attention span.
Conclusion: The New Servitude
We are facing an unprecedented scenario. Technology has ceased to be a tool and has become an environment.
If Boomers were “naive” for believing in authority, the new generations are “captives” of their own biology, exploited by data engineering. The tragedy is not that young people do not know how to use the supercomputer they hold in their hands; it is that the supercomputer is using them.
We have exchanged the capacity for intention (doing what I want) for the economy of attention (looking at what is put in front of me). And in this exchange, human freedom is not being lost to the force of a tyrant, but to the seduction of an algorithm that knows us biologically better than we know ourselves.