Lead article in The New World!
Our article that was the latest cover story for New World magazine takes aim at one of the most pervasive myths of our time: that addiction is the result of individual weakness or unfortunate biology. The article lays out a far more unsettling argument — that addiction has become a business model, deliberately cultivated by industries that depend on chronic overuse to drive profit.
Described by The New World as: "an extraordinary piece of research by Joe Woof on the extent to which we have become victims of what he calls the Addiction Economy. Not just fags and booze, but vapes, gambling, porn, weight loss, video gaming, social media, AI chatbots… the list goes on. Maybe you don’t consider yourself an addict. By the time you’ve finished reading Joe’s article you may feel differently. The sinister methods used to ensnare us, and the complicity of the government, is disturbing.."
But we were particularly pleased that Matt Kelly in the interview also saw our work primarily as empowering - just what we want to get across.
He said: “…the thing that I took away when I read it (Joe’s article he had commissioned) and why, frankly, I thought we should we need to splash on this because I felt empowered. Well, two things. First of all, I went into it not feeling like I was an addict, and I came out of it feeling like, oh my God, yes, I’m totally an addict.
But I understood why I was an addict and I felt, okay, now I can see that, this knowledge is very powerful. When people start to think about the cues that they’re being given and, the social nudges and the economy around it, you know, it’s called the addiction economy. Right. And the economy is probably the more important part that this is. It’s founded on driving more and more behaviors from you as an individual.
Once I understood that, I, I started to think, okay, maybe I can start to chip away at this a little bit.”
The button clicks to what should be a subscription free link - however if that has expired, just subscribe free and you will get Joe’s plus three articles every month free too. Really recommend the weekly paper which is has won best new political paper 4 years in a row.
Following the publication of the article, Joe was invited onto The Two Matts podcast to explore the themes in greater depth. In conversation with Matthew d’Ancona and Matt Kelly, he unpacks how addiction has been industrialised — not as a side effect but as a growth strategy. The discussion ranges from vaping, gambling and obesity to AI chatbots, suicide risk, children’s exposure and the collapse of “personal responsibility” as a meaningful defence.
The episode challenges the listener to rethink agency, shame and consent in a landscape where addictive design is the default rather than the exception. For anyone concerned about public health, regulation, or the psychological cost of modern capitalism, it’s an urgent and unsettling conversation.
Should have been more on the ball on taking pics, a very quick snap meant we got Joe, but not the Matts!
They also brought it up on their Sunday morning show - referring to the article that Princess Kate co-wrote during the week on the harms of smart phones for children, worth reading which is covered here on the BBC https://lnkd.in/enywPxsw
Again, so pleased they got where we are coming from - we just want to highlight what we all know, but somehow haven’t made the connections before - and how seeing it more clearly is enlightening and empowering.
"..this was why it was so interesting talking to Joe on Thursday, about the Addiction Economy.....I thought he was brilliant. And read the article in the magazine, so well written and thought provoking and revelatory...you sort of go, oh, of course of course of course."
Get The Two Matts wherever you get your podcasts.
