In a book called Atomic Habits, author James Clear describes the process of habit formation as comprising four steps: a cue, a craving, a response and a reward. This is called the “habit loop”. Ultimately, we can create habits, and even become addicted to a behaviour, when our brain associates it (drinking, smoking, tweeting) with a pleasurable outcome. Too many people on Twitter are addicted to outrage. My hypothesis — not an original one at all — is that the likes and retweets received for piling on to the latest scandal engender a sense of belonging; this belonging, fostered by the mutual reinforcement of each other’s righteous indignation, is the reward. Maybe. Whatever the reward, a reliable cue for a mass South African Twitter rage is the Democratic Alliance: John Steenhuisen, Natasha Mazzone and the queen, Helen Zille. The latter will surely have her turn again soon with the release of her new book, but at the beginning of this month it was former DA leader Tony Leon’s turn. By now you’re all probably aware of the whole saga but to recap: Leon made a comment in an interview with News24 about his latest book, Future Tense: Reflections On My…
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Addicted to Twitter outrage
