The cognitive and moral harms of platform decay
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 12626848 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Michael J Ardoline (0000-0001-5159-0125, Louisiana State University, corresponding author), Edward Lenzo (Muhlenberg College) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 27 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Publication date | 2025-07-26 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Ethics and Information Technology (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1388-1957 • E-ISSN: 1572-8439 |
| Publisher | Springer Science+Business Media (PUBLISHER • DE) |
| DOI | 10.1007/s10676-025-09846-1 |
| OpenAlex | W4412657177 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 25 |
Platform decay is the phenomenon of major internet platforms, such as Google search, Facebook, and Amazon, systematically declining in quality in recent years. This decline in quality is attributed to the particular business model of these platforms and its harms are usually understood to be violations of principles of economic fairness and of inconveniencing users. In this article, we argue that the scope and nature of these harms are underappreciated. In particular, we establish that platform decay constitutes both a cognitive and moral harm to its users. We make this case by arguing that platforms function as cognitive scaffolds or extensions, as understood by the extended mind approach to cognition. It is then a straightforward implication that platform decay constitutes cognitive damage to a platform’s users. This cognitive damage is a harm on its own; however, it can also undermine cognitive capacities that virtue ethicists argue are necessary for developing a virtuous character. We will focus on this claim in regards to the capacity to pay attention, a capacity that platform decay targets specifically. Platform decay therefore also constitutes both cognitive and moral harm, which simultaneously affects billions of people
Cognition · Cognitive psychology · Cybernetics and Technology in Society · Embodied and Extended Cognition · Information Systems Theories and Implementation · Neuroscience · Psychology · Social Psychology
Minds
Exograms and Interdisciplinarity
The Extended Mind
Grundrisse
Rituals and Machines
The Minority Body
E cognition and the dogma of harmony
Hostile Scaffolding
ChatGPT is bullshit
Moral Deskilling and Upskilling in a New Machine Age
Extended Cognition and the Internet
Overcoming deadlock
Attention, moral skill, and algorithmic recommendation
Use of large language models might affect our cognitive skills
| Unique citing works | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1 |
| Citation span | 2026 - 2026 (1) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |