Resisting Technology Addiction with Mencius

In the attention economy, technology companies derive their primary profits not from direct content consumption but from advertising revenue generated by capturing users’ attention. This relentless pursuit of attention has led to widespread issues of addiction to social media, pornography, and video games across the world. This problem cannot be addressed by individual willpower alone, as advanced technologies and design techniques are deliberately crafted to exploit human psychology and foster addictive behaviours. To address this issue, we must move away from both rugged individualism and oppressive patriarchy. Mencian ethics, particularly his principle of “don’t forget, don’t force”, offers a valuable model. According to this approach, we should focus on collectively creating environments that foster healthy digital habits, rather than placing the burden solely on individuals or resorting to forceful behaviour modification. This environment must be nurtured by all family members. Beyond the family, we must also work to cultivate a healthy digital culture in society at large.