human fracking

noun

The use of information technology to exploit human attention in ways that are net counterproductive to the persons thus exploited (because whatever benefit they receive from it, if any, is outweighed by the costs imposed on them, in terms of side effects and externalities).

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Meanings

nounhuman fracking (uncountable)
  1. uncountableThe use of information technology to exploit human attention in ways that are net counterproductive to the persons thus exploited (because whatever benefit they receive from it, if any, is outweighed by the costs imposed on them, in terms of side effects and externalities).

Origin

Metaphorical; modeled after human trafficking and fracking; attested since the mid-2020s.

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Cite this entry
APA

human fracking. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/human%20fracking

MLA

“human fracking.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/human%20fracking. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “human fracking,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/human%20fracking.

Source: human fracking on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.