Algorithmic Acedia Erodes Free Will

Algorithms and phone‑centric design spread a modern version of acedia — a listless, attention‑starved state — that reduces people's capacity for sustained deliberation and moral choice. That loss of sustained attention functions as an erosion of free will at scale, because automated attention loops substitute reflexive algorithmic cues for reflective decisions. — If platforms are systematically degrading deliberative capacity, that shifts how we should regulate attention tech, reframe mental‑health policy, and debate corporate responsibility for civic formation.