From Facebook games to a llama that reminds us when to drink water: "streaks," the addictive rewards

You drank one glass less than the daily goal you set for yourself, and in the evening, this notification on your phone: "Almost there! Only 12 cl left today." A last glass of water that, once swallowed, you will have to record on the Waterllama app or risk losing your "streak" - that is, your "series" of consecutive successful days. Apple Fitness, Duolingo, Snapchat, BeReal, Kindle or WeReward: the apps that keep track of our "streaks" are multiplying, a way to keep us coming back every day - and to make us feel guilty if we don't. Since when have we paid so much attention to this endless stream of tiny rewards?

The streak is the heir to two principles: rewarding daily connections and punishing irregularity, both of which were generalized by free games that spread on Facebook from 2007 onwards and are financed through microtransactions, data resale and advertising. "The longer you are retained, the more data you will divulge that is valuable to publishers," summarizes Julien Pillot, a doctor of economics at the University of Nice and a specialist in video games.

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