I'm always pleased when anyone takes the time to critique my book so thank you. However, it appears we have a few clear disagreements perhaps I can address:

- You wrote "the book is almost never user-centric" and that I'm not a designer. I beg to differ. As I wrote, everything in the book must be done with the consumer's needs in mind. Why didn’t you mention that in the very first chapter I describe how products must provide utility if they are going to build a habit? It’s a criterion for getting into the “habit zone.”

I discuss extensively why my book is not mind-control, hence why we must design for their long-term needs. If we don't, we lose them. People are very savvy and will stop using a product if it doesn't serve their needs.

I taught at the Hasso Plattner Institute of Design at Stanford for several years and have worked as a behavioral designer (intersection of UX and consumer psychology) for well over a decade.

- The book uses social media (and other businesses) as design examples, not moral exemplars. There are LOTS of things I don't like about social media and Facebook in particular. The goal is not to say "be like Facebook in every way" (that would be silly and you've set up a straw many in your essay by implying that's what I'm saying). The idea is to take FB's secrets and use them for good. You may not agree with the companies ethics, but you can't say they're not excellent at getting people hooked. That's why I use them to illustrate the points I'm making. I do this so that readers can use the Hooked Model to get people "hooked" to all sorts of healthy habits (fitness apps, fintech, edtech, etc.) and that's the purpose of the book. I showed popular examples like social media companies because these are companies most people are familiar with and have used, not because they are perfect corporations. They aren’t!

- I don't think you understand what addiction really is. Addiction is not liking something a lot. It's not using IG a bit too much from time to time. Addiction is a pathology. It's not a term we can throw around implying everyone gets it. That's disrespectful to people struggling with the disorder. The truth is, any product used by enough people is going to addict someone. People get addicted to all sorts of things. The repercussion of building something people enjoy using, and enough people use, is that someone is going to get addicted. The solution is not to not build the product (that would deny the good it could do in the world) but rather to put in safety measures to help people struggling with addiction.

Here we both agree something needs to be done. I have written extensively about the need for "use and abuse policies" (see my blog) to help people struggling with addiction and I support legislation to force tech companies to have such policies. But implying that all products designed to be habit-forming are immoral is clearly wrong.

- It seems like you've zoomed in on only examples of tech you don't like. But there are far more companies you've barely heard of that use the Hooked Model to build healthy habits in users' lives. It's important to acknowledge that using consumer psychology can do amazing things for our users by helping make products they want to use. The real problem is not that a handful of companies suck us in, it's that the vast majority of products out there just plain suck. The really unethical bit is that people are forced to use software and tools that make them want to pull their hair out and quit their jobs. That's the opportunity we as designers have to improve their lives. We can help people exercise, recycle, eat healthier, save money, be happier at work, etc. if we understand how to help them change their behavior for good. But if designers don't learn the principles of consumer psychology I describe in Hooked, their likelihood of failure increases and we miss a huge opportunity.

- As others have mentioned in the comments, my second book, Indistractable, is a guide for breaking bad habits. It's not a negation of Hooked, but a compliment. We can use Hooked to help us and others build good habits while learning how to break bad habits, including the ones we form to watching too much TV, playing too many video games, or scrolling too much social media.

Thanks again for your thoughts. Hopefully, others will consider the opportunities and threats posed by persuasive technology and judge for themselves.