Is Scrolling the New Smoking?
Introducing Big Tech-bacco: A visual journey into how the tech giants built the addiction empires of the 21st century.
In this post I wanted to share the artwork from a recent series I created for PSYCHONØT called Big Tech-bacco.
About Big Tech-bacco
Much like Big Tobacco in the 20th century, today’s tech giants flood us with addictive, harmful products—the full consequences of which we’re only beginning to understand. Big Tech presents itself as a pillar of progress, the do-gooders of the future, while disguising the damage beneath billions in marketing dollars and endless profits. All the while, our minds, attention, and social fabric are quietly eroding.
Big Tech-bacco explores the unsettling parallels between Big Tobacco of the past and Big Tech of today. It examines our addiction to screens, social media, one-click consumerism, and beyond.
But the most important question remains: do we have a way out?
Drawing The Parallel
Every clip in this video comes straight from real, publicly available commercials. No deepfakes, no AI tricks — just the shocking honesty of corporate marketing doing its thing. The story pretty much tells itself.
Source Inspiration
Before smartphones became the new cigarette, tobacco companies mastered the art of selling addiction with style. Their ads—spanning from the 1920s to the late 20th century—framed smoking as glamorous, healthy, even patriotic. I found myself drawn to these vintage campaigns not only for their visual charm, but for how boldly they distorted reality.
Most of my research came from diving into archival tobacco advertisements on Pinterest. These images—doctors recommending cigarettes, pregnant women lighting up, rugged cowboys, and elegant socialites—became the foundation for Big Tech-bacco’s visual language.
In many ways, these old ads feel eerily familiar. The tone, the manipulation, the corporate sheen—it’s all still with us. The difference is that today’s addictive products are delivered through screens, not smoke.
The Artwork (Digital)
Building on that inspiration, I reinterpreted these vintage visuals using collage techniques in Photoshop. Each of the seven artworks in Big Tech-bacco combines public domain images with AI-generated assets from Midjourney, allowing me to create scenes that feel both retro and surreal.
The process was intentionally layered—juxtaposing nostalgic aesthetics with distorted, sometimes grotesque elements that reflect the darker truths beneath tech’s polished marketing. This surreal collage approach lets the viewer experience a familiar visual language, but warped—just as our relationship with technology has been warped.
Here is the work…
The Wild West
10 Packs A Day
Smoke Screen
Soulless Searching
Smooth Filtered
Dopamine & Chill
Just One More Click
Physical Works/Goods
We wanted to create physical artworks that serve a dual purpose: bold expressions of critique and quiet reminders that you’re still in control. In a world designed to keep us scrolling, tapping, and buying, these posters and phone cases bring the message into the real world—where you can choose to pause and reflect.
They’re not just art objects. They’re anchors of awareness. Small, tangible prompts to remember that attention is a choice, and habits can be broken—one glance, one reminder at a time.
The artwork on these pieces was done by my co-creator in PSYCHONØT, Vince Lusardi (an amazing artist I have worked with for 15+ years).
If you’re interested in purchasing any of these works, they are available on our website!
Help Spread These Ideas
If you’ve made it this far and the message of Big Tech-bacco resonates with you, I’d be grateful if you helped spread it. Share this project with friends, media outlets, or anyone who cares about art, technology, or how culture shapes our habits. This isn’t backed by ad dollars or algorithms—it grows through curiosity and conversation.
If you’d like to see more projects like this, check out my broader work at PSYCHONØT, where I explore the intersection of art, media, and human agency. You can also join the newsletter to stay in the loop on future drops, exhibitions, and ideas worth reflecting on.
Thank you!
Ross