Steve Downs
stephenjdowns.bsky.social
Steve Downs
@stephenjdowns.bsky.social
190 followers 300 following 50 posts
Co-founder of @buildingh.bsky.social, working to build health into everyday life. Teaching at @itp-ima-nyu.bsky.social and Stanford d.school. Former chief technology and strategy officer at @rwjf.bsky.social.
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Reposted by Steve Downs
Incredible- Meta projected 10% of its 2024 revenue would come from ads for scams and banned goods, documents seen by Reuters show. And the social media giant internally estimates that its platforms show users 15 billion scam ads a day."
Meta earns $3.5 billion every six months from showing Faceboon and Instagram users 15 billion “higher legal risk” scam ad impressions a day, internal documents state.

That haul vastly exceeds how much the company expects regulators
To fine it for running scam ads.

www.reuters.com/investigatio...
www.reuters.com
Reposted by Steve Downs
Business has long depended on emotional attachment as strategy to create switching costs. (E.g., Cadillac). Seems utterly obvious that despite their ethical commitments, the intentional engineering of AIs to generate human emotional attachment will soon be mainstream.
Reposted by Steve Downs
For our latest newsletter, we look at the current challenges facing public transit, how it matters for health, and ways to think about the future, ft perspectives from @humantransit.bsky.social, @davidzipper.bsky.social & @henriettalmoore.bsky.social -- and more mailchi.mp/bd7c1161a908...
Building H: Get on the Bus
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Reposted by Steve Downs
also popular in our newsletter last week was this piece in the @nytimes.com on former FDA commissioner @davidakesslermd.bsky.social's effort to rein in ultraprocessed foods: www.nytimes.com/2025/08/07/u...
Former F.D.A. Chief Backs Kennedy’s War on Processed Food
www.nytimes.com
Reposted by Steve Downs
The most popular story in our newsletter last week was this piece, by Jordan Shlain, on how the key to longevity might actually be the friends in your life:

medium.com/tincture/soc...
Social Architecture
Inspired by a conversation with three amazing scientists: Dr. Elissa Epel, Dr. Britney Blair and Dr. George Slavich.
medium.com
Reposted by Steve Downs
For our most recent newsletter, we were inspired by @tadfriend.bsky.social's @newyorker.com profile of the longevity movement & by John Kay’s writings on “obiquity.” We ask what it would take to achieve health by not focusing on it so much. mailchi.mp/cc9491e30ea8...
Building H: Overthinking Health
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Reposted by Steve Downs
Reposted by Steve Downs
The most popular story from our newsletter this weekend was this piece, from the Berkeley Media Studies Group, on the tension between American ideals of individualism and the essential roles of public health: medium.com/narrative-st...
Individualism threatens public health
1.Individualism is a wonderful thing. And individualism is a terrible thing.
medium.com
Reposted by Steve Downs
Be sure to check out this essay, from co-founder @thgoetz.bsky.social, on individualism, the illusion of freedom of choice and how attaining health individually relies on working on our collective health, in our latest newsletter:
mailchi.mp/d36856ac483d...
Reposted by Steve Downs
For our latest newsletter, we look at the iconic American phrase "freedom of choice" and explore its implications for our health. Plus, a new report from @deloitteinsights.bsky.social on food as medicine, a new design envisions entertainment that's actually healthy & more

mailchi.mp/d36856ac483d...
Building H: Do We Have Freedom of Choice?
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Sen. Cassidy vs. Dr. Cassidy, continued …
not entirely — 5:15 from the Junction was canceled
I'm excited to head to London this week to hear about innovation projects focused on UN SDG 4: Quality Education at the Design for Good Annual Event 2025. You can see the livestream on Thursday here: bit.ly/DfG_Celebrat...
Design for Good Celebration - 25th June (Virtual)
bit.ly
Reposted by Steve Downs
Great to see greater recognition of the environments (in this case food) that drive chronic illness. But it's not just the food products that are responsible -- there's also entertainment, housing, transportation ... www.buildingh.org/index/2024
Remarkable shift in public opinion against food industry. Also remarkable that @nbcnews.com poll asked about socioeconomic status. www.nbcnews.com/politics/tru...
Reposted by Steve Downs
The most popular piece in our newsletter last week was co-founder @stephenjdowns.bsky.social's remarks -- covering lessons from our first five years -- at the 2025 annual meeting of the @sbm.org: medium.com/building-h/w...
Will it be easier or harder to be healthy in the future?
Keynote address to the Society For Behavioral Medicine’s annual meeting 2025
medium.com
yes — trends seem similar
Interesting that the numbers (obesity, severe obesity) generally run a few points higher than NHANES data
Superb article. That constant data collection w/ regular data analysis is considered the future of health highlights 2 major failures: 1) not providing adequate health care for all; and 2) creating a modern world where it's so hard to stay healthy. The real challenge is to make this stuff rare.
I spent the last six months wearing every health tracker I could find, from an Oura ring to a continuous glucose monitor. I did not expect to find myself toe-to-toe with RFK Jr. and the MAHA movement. www.vox.com/technology/4...
I covered my body in health trackers for 6 months. It ruined my life.
Do Apple Watches, Oura rings, and glucose monitors actually make us healthier?
www.vox.com
Reposted by Steve Downs
The most popular story from our newsletter was this NYT opinion piece from @erictopol.bsky.social on the real (and very old school) keys to longevity, which can be supplemented by advances in measurement: www.nytimes.com/2025/04/21/o...
Opinion | The New Science of Aging Can Predict Your Future
A new era of medical care is upon us.
www.nytimes.com