ICCA: Understanding and Avoiding Compulsive Use
Year: 2026
Type: preprint
Abstract: ICCA: Identity Constructed Communication ArchitectureVolume V: Psychology, Autonomy & Digital HabitusPaper: ICCA: Understanding and Avoiding Compulsive UseCompulsive digital use is not a personal failing. It is a behavioural outcome engineered by systems that observe, infer, predict and manipulate human attention. Modern digital architectures create compulsive loops by exploiting cognitive vulnerabilities, amplifying emotion, reinforcing identity and shaping behaviour through personalised stimuli. These systems convert human curiosity into algorithmic engagement, replacing intentional interaction with reactive consumption. ICCA eliminates the structural conditions that produce compulsive use by removing identity visibility, behavioural metadata, continuity, correlation, inference and prediction. Trustless systems dissolve compulsive triggers, restore cognitive autonomy and create an environment in which digital interaction becomes deliberate rather than addictive. This paper examines the psychological mechanisms behind compulsive use and explains how ICCA prevents it through structural blindness.
Source: Figshare
Author: Karl A L Smith
Language: English
Topic: Digital Media and Philosophy
Subfield: Communication
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7204806796