The Ubiquity of Vaping

Disposable vapes, like Elf Bars, have proliferated across society, appealing to consumers including school students, raising public health concerns and regulatory challenges. Governments struggle to find a balance between preventing new addictions and not driving the market underground or inadvertently increasing tobacco use.

Vapes as a Microcosm of Capitalism

The video suggests disposable vapes exemplify broader economic trends - an economy increasingly built on addiction, customer lock-in, and environmental disregard. This shift reflects a move from a purely transactional capitalism to an "addiction economy" where companies rely heavily on repeated or guaranteed patronage via addictive products or services, intellectual property manipulations, and subscription models.

Addiction as a Business Model

Many industries, like tobacco, alcohol, food, and pharmaceuticals, rely on chemical or behavioral addictions to ensure customer retention. Nicotine addiction means recurring sales for vape producers, reflecting a business model that transcends industries, from substance-based to digital.

Intellectual Property and Market Monopolies

Companies protect their monopoly and customer base through intellectual property laws, as seen in the pharmaceutical industry with insulin. This patent protection and tactics like "evergreening" prevent competition, keeping consumers dependent on proprietary products or platforms.

Subscriptions and Built-in Dependence

Subscription models entice customers with low initial costs and create dependencies through convenience and sunk cost in familiarity. Adobe Creative Cloud, for example, locks customers into ongoing payments and makes it challenging to switch services due to file incompatibility and learned workflows.

The Allure of Early Consumer Habits

Companies target young or transitioning consumers, like students, to establish brand loyalty early on, much like addictive industries have historically done. By integrating into consumers' lives at a formative stage, companies can potentially secure a customer for life.

Regulatory Challenges and Inconsistencies

While governments attempt to regulate certain addictive industries (like vaping), other potentially addictive arenas such as gambling, video gaming, and social media face less stringent regulations, often due to industry lobbying and the economic gains tied to these practices.