How George Orwell was right — and Steve Jobs was wrong
Raw StoryA fascinating article in The New York Timesthis week by Kurt Gray, professor of psychology and neuroscience at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, gives us the beginnings of an understanding of how and why social media is so destructive to society. Whether we’re scrolling social media or voting for a presidential candidate, we all still carry the legacy of our ancestors, who worried about big cats lurking in the darkness.” Thus, if you could invent a drug that would cause people to be fearful — and thus stimulate the rage that comes from fear — you could have incredible control over a population if you could simply tell them where and against whom to direct that fear-induced rage. Which is exactly what the algorithms deployed in secret by social media do: they purify and concentrate hate and fear spread across the broader social media site, distilling the most potent memes and messages to the top and shoving them into people’s brains. Enter stage right “populist” politicians and media sites who push people’s now-sensitized fear and rage buttons for political gain. Too much of the ‘innovation’ in this space is designed not to create better products, but to capture more attention by using psychological tricks that make it difficult to look away.” The past two years have shown America and the world what happens when a social media company is captured by an unaccountable billionaire with a specific political goal.
History of this topic
Social media prime factor in UK riots
China Daily
Social media prime factor in UK riots
China Daily
It’s easy to forget that social media does a lot of good as well as bad
The Independent
Keir Starmer under pressure to order inquiry into social media to prevent it fuelling future riots
The Independent
Elon Musk wades into far-right riots row again as war of words with UK MPs grows
The Independent
As disinformation swirls around Southport stabbings and Olympic Boxer Imane Khelif, are social media companies doing enough to tackle it?
The Independent
Starmer warns social media firms over misinformation sparking violent disorder
The Independent
Opinion: Lies, damn lies and social media — there's a reason this country is so deeply polarized.
LA Times
Why Social Media Platforms like TikTok Are Being Blamed for Fueling Riots in France?
News 18Why social media is being blamed for fueling the riots in France
Associated Press
Trump Is Allowed Back On Mainstream Social Media. Can It Still Power His Next Campaign?
Huff Post
New research shows that Donald Trump's fascist attacks on democracy may have backfired
Raw Story
Social media can inflame your emotions — and it's a byproduct of its design
NPR
Social media firms have a ‘duty of care’
Hindustan Times
Ex-US President Obama Blames Social Media for 'Weakening of Democracy' Around the World
News 18
Social media key factor behind rise in youth violence, experts warn
The IndependentSøren Kierkegaard versus the internet
ABC
The case for social media to be closely regulated is clear
Live Mint
Naomi Wolf, Donald Trump, and why Twitter and Facebook’s attempts to regulate their platforms may be too late
The IndependentThese books will guide you through the intricacies of social media
The Hindu
No turning back: Facebook reckons with a post-2020 world
Associated Press
Column: The drive to regulate social media is about partisan politics — and it won’t work
LA Times)
Twitter World's Most Powerful Editor Now? Donald Trump's Ban Raises Many Questions
News 18
Opinion: This is the right-wing media problem in a microcosm
CNN
The real lesson of Trump’s social media silencing (opinion)
CNN
If those who stormed the Capitol yesterday are charged with sedition, social networks should stand alongside them
The Independent
Section 230: Why the CEOs of Facebook, Google and Twitter are testifying before the Senate this week
CNNSocial media is an extension of our physical world and it is rife with propaganda
The Hindu
Social media: The new theatre of India’s culture wars
Hindustan TimesHow social media stars are trumping celebrity endorsements with edgy, nuanced content
The Hindu
Social media is killing democracy
Hindustan TimesSocial media and democracy
The Hindu
Trump escalates war on Twitter, social media protections
Associated Press
Social Media Usage Is At An All-Time High. That Could Mean A Nightmare For Democracy
NPR
From humanitarian work to restoring faith in humanity: The real face of Right on social media
Op India
Trump applauds far-right social media provocateurs
Associated Press
Trump Will Use His Social Media Summit to Amplify Lies About Anti-Conservative Bias on Social Media
Slate
The Cleverness of Trump’s “Social Media Summit”
Slate
Critics slam Trump ‘social media summit’ over far-right invitees
Al Jazeera
The New Zealand terror attack shows how far-right violence is cultivated by the internet and populist politicians
The IndependentDiscover Related
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