Recent legal victories against tech giants like Meta and Google bypass Section 230 protections. Instead of focusing on harmful content, plaintiffs successfully argue that features like infinite scroll and personalized algorithms are deliberately designed to be addictive, presenting a product liability issue.

AI video tools like Sora optimize for high production value, but popular internet content often succeeds due to its message and authenticity, not its polish. The assumption that better visuals create better engagement is a risky product bet, as it iterates on an axis that users may not value.

Ben Thompson argues that ChatGPT succeeded because the creator was also the consumer, receiving immediate, personalized value. In contrast, AI video is created for an audience. He questions whether Sora's easily-made content is compelling enough for anyone other than the creator to watch, posing a major consumption hurdle.

The comparison to the tobacco industry highlights a key difference: nicotine is an addictive chemical present in all cigarette brands. If social media features like "infinite scroll" were the equivalent, any app with them would be addictive. Since many fail, it suggests the true addictive element is the unique, ever-changing user content.

If features like the 'like' button were addictive like nicotine, any app with them would create dependency. The failure of countless social media clones proves this false. The truly addictive element is the high-quality, user-generated content, not the platform's UI mechanics.

The short-lived Sora app utilized all standard "addictive" social media features like infinite scroll. Its failure demonstrates that these mechanics alone cannot create addiction; compelling, high-quality user-generated content is the essential ingredient.

Sora's rapid decline after a viral launch reveals a critical lesson for media platforms. Because its videos were exportable, its best content was reposted to TikTok and Reels. There, the AI content competed against the best human content on a superior platform, making Sora's dedicated feed experience strictly inferior and unsustainable as a social destination.

Platforms like Sora 2 struggle to retain users as social destinations. The core driver of social networks—the status game tied to authentic, personal representation—is lost when content is known to be AI-generated. These apps function as powerful creator tools for existing platforms, not as new social graphs.

The next wave of social media regulation is moving beyond content moderation to target core platform design. The EU and US legal actions are scrutinizing features like infinite scroll and personalized algorithms as potentially "addictive." This focus on platform architecture could fundamentally alter the user experience for both teens and adults.