Lab Rats, Nazi Salutes, and My Rebellion Against Tech Broligarchy

Confessions of a Product Manager in the Age of Manipulation

Picture by Antoine Geiger

1. The A/B Test Dilemma

For 8 years, I've been a product manager at media giants and e-commerce platforms. My job? To "optimize" your experience.

Translation: Turn you into a lab rat

💡 We'd run hundreds of A/B tests—tiny tweaks to fonts, colors, buttons—to find the perfect recipe for addiction. A "scientific" way to manipulate you into scrolling longer, clicking faster, buying more. We called it "high Life Time Value (LTV)." I called it what it was: digital coercion

"We've moved from tools-based tech to addiction-based tech."
— Tristan Harris, former Google design ethicist and co-founder of the Center for Humane Technology

But here's the kicker:
Western Tech PMs, designers and engineers doesn't see itself as the villain. I used to say to my Naver engineers (Korean tech corporation, often compared as Korean Google), "we need to be like Apple, simple and user-centric not like those Chinese manipulators at Temu or Shein shoving neon ads in your face.”

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2. The Entrepreneur Who Didn't Get It

Last month, I had a chat with a bright-eyed Silicon Valley founder building a well-being app. No dark patterns. No ads. Just… good intentions.

Then he said it: "Social media's just a tool. I met great people on X!"

My heart sank. “Damn, here comes the Silicon Valley Bubble”

It's the same lie we've all swallowed. Tools don't demand your attention. Tools don't algorithmically feed you rage to keep you hooked. Yes, you met great friends, but at the end that's just a hook for you to get back to the app.

Tools don't turn democracy into a meme war where the loudest troll wins.

Elon Musk thinks it's "cool" that Dogecoin memes became real. I think it's terrifying. When a joke currency fueled by GIFs dictates market swings, we've crossed into a dystopia even Black Mirror wouldn't pitch.

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3. From Roman Empire to Tech Broligarchs

Yes, I think about Roman Empire everyday now.

The Roman Poet Juvenal warned:
"Give them bread and circuses, and they will never revolt."

💡 Today's circuses aren't chariot races—they're TikTok dances and Trump's Truth Social rants, traditional news covering outrage non-stop. The bread? Endless dopamine hits from Amazon one-click buys and Netflix autoplay. They're not just selling products; they're selling a new feudalism.

One Nazi salute broligarch fills my Reddit feed, Spotify podcasts, YouTube algorithm, non-stop seduction back to the media.

Yeah, I do think about the Roman Empire every day, especially its fall and how it foreshadows the decline of the US and late-stage capitalism.

The inauguration spectacle, with tech titans standing in the wings, wasn't just a power transfer—it was a coronation of our new digital puppet masters.

You're the serf. Your attention is the crop.

Picture by The Social Dilemma

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4. A Quiet Rebellion

So where's the hope?

As a PM: I'm done building slot machines disguised as apps.

I'm learning ethical design. I'm educating about the systemic harms of the attention economy—such as internet addiction, mental health issues, political extremism, and misinformation.

Learning from ethical products like Ecosia—a search engine that plants trees instead of selling your data. Profit isn't evil; exploitation is.

As a human: I'm going on social media hiatus, muting group chats, and reading books made of paper. Radical, I know.

As a millennial: I'll try to listen more—to real people, in real rooms—not algorithmically amplified screamers.

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5. Final Thoughts

Tech won't save us. But we might.

💡 The next time you feel that itch to scroll, ask yourself: "Am I the user… or the used?”

Then go pet a dog. Take a walk. Call your mom. Bake some bread and share it with a neighbor - bring back that covid hobby that you had and use it for social good. Though fair warning, your sourdough starter won't give you push notifications when it feels neglected.

But also share the knowledge and reduce screen time. When you see your friend on social media, tell them that they are a lab rat.

Rebellion doesn't always roar. Sometimes, it needs to unplug, reflect and share the reflection.

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Beyond the Algorithm (But if you're into it):

• Watch: How Empires Fall and Why the US is Next by Uncivilized

• Read: Ten Arguments for Deleting Your Social Media Accounts Right Now by Jaron Lanier.

• Take Action: Explore The Social Dilemma’s Take Action page for practical steps to realign your relationship with technology.