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Web 2.0, as it’s known, introduced us to social media networks like Facebook and MySpace and platforms like YouTube that empowered everyday internet users to easily publish their content.

However, behind these exciting smartphone apps, embedded videos, and user-centric platforms, carefully constructed corporate frameworks tracked, analyzed, and monetized every user interaction.

Most of us already know about this manipulation and the threat of having our private data sold and potentially leaked to the public.

A more under-discussed legacy of Web 2.0 is the mental health implications of doomsday scrolling and the complex algorithms behind this construct that cause severe mental strain on many of us.

Web 2.0’s dark side

The Web 2.0 model isn’t all bad. Targeted ads allow users to discover products and services that provide tangible benefits to their lives.

However, in most jurisdictions, internet users don’t have an opt-in option for how and who uses their private data.

Even after the EU implemented the GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) in 2018 to protect individual online rights and privacy, insiders believe relevant violations are prevalent at most tech companies.

In addition to complex algorithms that provoke emotional reactions that lead to scrolling addictions and mental burnout, state-sponsored and non-state actors actively manipulate newsfeeds with bots spewing propaganda.

Between the over-bombardment of ads, provocative content, and the blurring of real and fake and intentionally confusing interfaces, the average internet user suffers from ‘information chaos,’ which can lead to stress and anxiety for many.

While social scientists and academics have documented the impact of social media on mental health, little is being done to address information chaos and the burden of Web 2.0’s intense emotional a

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Author: Peter Ionov