especially as desire machines are everywhere now

what

i'll bite what's a desire machine

ok

think about slot machines and what makes them addictive

it's not really about the money right, if it was the design could be so much cheaper, just bet your money, roll some dice, lose or win.

if money was the main addictive factor, poker or bingo would be just as addictive, but they aren't. Slots are by far the most addictive form of gambling.

what do slot machines have to do with anything?

stay with me it'll make sense i promise

manufacturers put tons of effort into the sensory experience of the machine

Complex digital bullshit rng with mechanical looking reels way worse odds than they look, flashing lights sound effects music

purposeful near jackpots getting players riled up.

aren't fake almost jackpots illegal?

they are but there are workarounds

anyway

complete sensory overload.

all the spectacle is meant to pull you into this haze, where the machine is completely occupying your conciousness.

right, there's a whole aesthetic component to it, there's lights, sounds, big lever to pull, uncanny paintings of women staring.

that's the point, the torrent of stimuli gets you in the zone

actually

a lot of newer slots have gotten rid of the lever to speed up the machine and keep people in the zone, reels never stop spinning, you bet faster, lose money quicker. apprx 1200 spins per hour.

faster spins keep you in the machine zone too

you're meant to keep going, symbols flowing down the screen. Anticipating reward while the reels spin

that's what's addictive about it, that's what people desire, it's not the actual reward, it's the state of anticipating reward from the machine, the void where nothing matters but the machine, the process, a place with nothing but desire

a slot machine isn't really a probability device for betting money, it's a machine for maximising and monetising desire

it creates a desire for desire itself

it hijacks our desire for the void, the longing to disappear into something

you could put it that way sure.

The machine works so well, some addicts get annoyed when they win. It interrupts the flow of the machine zone. Winning disconnects you from the desiring process.

ok now that we know what a desire machine is, how and why is everything a desire machine?

what else is a machine with a scrolling feed that gives you semi-random results, built to maximise and monetise your desire?

the internet

the internet

goddammit