Fast feedback loops are a reliable mechanism for habit formation. B.F. Skinner demonstrated that variable ratio schedules — where the reward appears unpredictably — produce the most persistent behavior. Apps that deliver fast, unpredictable micro-rewards (likes, comments, new content, loot box reveals) are applying this directly.
Wolfram Schultz's dopamine research adds the neuroscience: dopamine fires not on reward delivery but on the prediction of reward. The faster the loop, the more frequently that prediction fires, and the more compelling the experience becomes. Slower offline activities — which don't fire dopamine on prediction at the same rate — feel dull by comparison after extended exposure.