Do you mind explaining what you mean by "slot machine" in this context? I'm not a TikTok user, but I'm sometimes on Facebook and other "feed" sites, and I don't fully grasp how gambling comes in to play.
From rats on up to humans this is known to be an extremely addictive behavioral pattern. Social media like Tik Tok can perfectly balance how much reward to give you to keep you engaged while filing the non-reward results with ads and other messaging they want you thinking about.
Should we ban HN?
I think intent matters for a lot here, as does who/what is pulling the levers. If popular content organically rises to the top because people like it that's not really a problem, but if content is artificially pushed to the top or hidden entirely to push an agenda that could be an issue.
[0] except the YC jobs ads
Are rewards in nature more valuable if the outcome is not certain? Or is that a trait that stuck to humans because people who try again and again learn better?