Opinion | Why people are ordering fake food and fashion deliveries on free ‘dopamine apps’
Summary
Dopamine apps offer the thrill of ordering food or shopping online without actual delivery, providing users with dopamine hits through anticipation and choice, but they also raise concerns about targeted advertising and potential gateway behaviors.
Key Points
- Dopamine apps simulate food delivery and shopping experiences without real transactions to provide dopamine-induced satisfaction.
- These apps originated in South Korea and have spread globally, with some developed by international companies like Fenwick Holdings LLC in the US.
- Users gain a dopamine hit from the anticipation and selection process, despite no real consumption of goods.
- Fake purchases on these apps help advertisers track users' preferences through cookies, enabling targeted ads in real life.
