Sweets have a surprising lot in common with the internet. That’s why we developed our own candy in collaboration with Papabubble. Hmmies are tiny artisinal sweets, fully filled with addicting sugar.
Sugar gives us a quick dopamine rush and keeps us reaching for just one more sweet. The algorithm works in a similar way: just one more video, just one more scroll, just one more notification. Both are designed around instant gratification and the craving for more.
With our own sweet, we make that comparison tangible. Whilst we talk about attention, addiction and the all-consuming logic of algorithms, we literally give visitors something to chew on. A small, sweet reminder of the question at the heart of our programmes: who actually determines what we crave — ourselves, or the system that tries to hold our attention?