Why is ATS So Addictive?

What is it about ATS that is so addictive?

It is.. you know it is!

Take me for example, I should be getting ready for a hot night out.. and yet, here I am, still checking up.. still posting...

Now I'm gonna be late!

Addicts never want to discuss their addictions...

I must go now.. I'll be recieving angry calls any time now..

I wanna hear from all of you!

For me it's the free natchos.

Seriously, I think it's because of the broad base of members(and staff) we have here. International in nature and from pre-teens to retired people.

And SO keeps us up to date.

for me it's all the pretty colors and pictures and avatars

no really it is, plus there is always the content, when the colors bore me, I like to read and learn what I don't know and to share what I think I know

[edit on 6-11-2005 by worldwatcher]

Why is ATS so Addictive?

Because ATS has members world-wide who report on the news and what they see.

ATS is the first site I go to for up to date analysis on the news. I may not post much, but I'm there and reading.

Originally posted by intrepid
Seriously, I think it's because of the broad base of members(and staff) we have here. International in nature and from pre-teens to retired people

This is a place where LIKE minded people gather, find comfort in one another or a good argument. No matter your country, religion, age...its ALL welcome here.

What news I read here is what comes out of Peter Jennings mouth the NEXT day...if he mentions it at all.

Personally, I learn ALOT more about other countries when it is coming from the people themselves, the TRUE human perspective.

Ya ya we are a pretty geeky lot And having so MUCH information on ANY conspiracy theory out there (and MORE) is an amazing thing IMO. You do not have to subscribe to any conspiracy at all to enjoy ATS for all it has to offer.

Yup.....I am addicted. I admit it. And I am proud of this addiction and do NOT try and hide it!
I am very pleased with my involvment in this profound interaction of like minds!

Long time ago I learned about reinforcement schedules, the Variable Interval was the stongest type.

allpsych.com...
If you have a boss who checks your work periodically, you understand the power of this schedule. Because you don’t know when the next ‘check-up’ might come, you have to be working hard at all times in order to be ready.

In this sense, the variable schedules are more powerful and result in more consistent behaviors. This may not be as true for punishment since consistency in the application is so important, but for all other types of reinforcement they tend to result in stronger responses.

We are getting reinforced by replies to our posts, or new posts in areas we are interested in. That is why we are so addicted.

You just dont know whats going to be said next. Plus all my friends are here.

Originally posted by Netchicken
We are getting reinforced by replies to our posts, or new posts in areas we are interested in. That is why we are so addicted.

Very true....I can't go two minutes on the web without returning to myATS to see if anyone has replied to my posts....

The favorable replies are always encouraging and the negative replies get that blood boiling

I respect many of my fellow members here at ATS and view their opinions as equal to that of my friends here in town....

And the best part is, you can ask just about any question you can think up, and within minutes you have someone who was just as curious about that as you were, or someone who knows the answers...hell...usually they even have some real-world experience....

Not to mention how great it feels when you help someone out, or key them in on something they didn't know about....

Screw AskJeeves....I've got AskATS

[edit on 6/11/2005 by EnronOutrunHomerun]

ATS contains information.

Information is power.

Power is addictive.

ATS contains an addictive substance. Someone call the FDA.

I think it's a combination of pretty much everything said already. For me, it's the wide diverse user base, the interesting and diverse topics discussed, the sense of community, and the desire to see and respond to some of the wacky alien/conspiracy related theories floated here.

Originally posted by WyrdeOne
ATS contains an addictive substance. Someone call the FDA.

Actually the DEA, they need to go and pull the servers out by their roots and carry them away!

Food and Drug being the key. Power isn't an illegal drug, which would fall under the jurisdiction of the DEA. No, the FDA needs to commission studies on the damaging nature of a power addiction, and regulate approriately.

I would like to see the DEA attack the most dangerous drug users - Power junkies. Of course ATS is just a minor dose, a sort of gentlemanly power trip. Information is power, but very few of us progress into the definition of dangerous user. People who kill others, rapists, corporate polluters and their legal string pullers, stock market thieves, you know, criminal types.

In this case you don't need to attack power, you just need to attack those who can't limit their use to responsible levels. The minute they start endangering their fellow citizens to get their fix, they're over the line.

So can someone call the FDA? Let them schedule the drug and limit the dosages, and then you can call the DEA and point them in the direction of the nearest cash concentration. Money grants more power, in this society, than information does.

Originally posted by EastCoastKid
What is it about ATS that is so addictive?

Well I do post here.

Originally posted by Lysergic

Originally posted by EastCoastKid
What is it about ATS that is so addictive?

Well I do post here.

Don't make me bring up the hamsters again.

Because, I feel low when I'm not on ATS.

Seriously, on ATS I can express my opinion without being flamed. And I can view other people's real opinions, not just agreeing to be cool, or disagreeing to piss people off.

I also love the diversity. I mean it's so awesome that no were else have I debated Chinese policy with an Indian, discussed F-14's with somebody actually from Iran, debated the War in Iraq with a British person, talked about stealth with a French person, discussed abortion with Vietnam veterans, etc. I for one think that our diversity is one of the best things that ATS has. Here on ATS we don't discriminate, and we appeal to all.

Another thing I like is that many members here are well educated. A good example being Intelgurl. I like how I can learn so much interesting stuff from people who know what they're talking about. We got Stanton Friedman to guest speak here . Not to mention the amount of research that goes into many of the posts.

Possibly the coolest thing is how well prepared I am for other forums. By using the level of discipline I use on ATS on other forums, I'm very well respected wereever I go. Not that I go anywere as much as ATS, but on another forum I'm one of the most respected members. That and ATS has so much reference material I can call apon, I'm a traveling conspiracy expert. Thanks to ATS I'm a mod and resident conspiracy expert on forum of over 1,000 members.

Finally I love the general atmosphere of the board. It has a very nice feel to it, as if we're not just a bunch of conspiracy theorizing wackos. We also have so many very well educated members who are capable of contributing so much. And lastly, the mods and admin do a tremendous job of keeping ATS troll free.

Well I'd say it's because we're all different races, religion and all have different views and can still express them without getting in trouble.
That, and I like UFOs.

ATS interests me, and what else are you going to do on a Sunday evening?!

It's all a global conspiracy, of course.

The Illuminati have banded together with every extremist religious group, and together they manufactured a bizarre type of crack coc aine - this is fed through the phone lines into your PC, down to your keyboard, and thus absorbed into your delicate bloodstream.

We're all crack-head conspiratorists!

(or something)

Seriously though - for me, it's become one of the few places where I can find genuinely interesting debate, with intelligence thrown in to boot.

And that's sadly a rarity online these days.

It's actually quite simple to figure out, really.

It all started a few years back when one Simon Gray developed a way to transmit subsonic brain waves through the computer screen in front of you. Naturally, this was for the Shadow Government's mind control purposes. Not only does it allow the Shadow Government to know what you're doing and have the ability to take control of you at a whim, but it keeps all those "free-thinkers" (that's in quotes because it's what the Shadow Government wants you to think you are) contained fairly well.

Sure, some people have broken free of this mind control system and were swiftly relenquished their duties of ATS.

Soon into the history of ATS, so-called "bots" came on the scene. These "bots," such as cpr12r and DeusEx, were used to further enhance the Shadow Government's mind control capabilities. Through them we have seen profound developments in the way that ATS can control everyone.

Of course there is also some interest in these "free thinkers" by the Reptillians, who swiftly took over the bodies of all the senior staff in order to help dominate us in yet another way.

Or, you know, I could be full of crap. This is a conspiracy site, after all.

Im here for the free beer