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Noisy Deadlines reviewed Chaos Machine by Max Fisher

Lots of inside information and the harms of social media

4 stars

This is a very in depth presentation of facts on how technology can impact society and social movements. It describes in detail how Facebook aimed to increase the number of friends users had (they wanted to surpass the Dunbar limit of 150) by enforcing it through changes in their algorithms. Then it discusses the Trump election and the rise of right-wing posts, videos and groups in social media. Chapters 4 and 5 covers the rise of machine learning algorithms and how all platforms started promoting and amplifying more outrageous/radical content. And how the average user's time on these platforms skyrocketed around 2016. And then, Trump's and Bolsonaro's election in the USA and Brazil respectively, which were fuelled by social media. The rise of alt-right movements. The pandemic and all the misinformation campaigns during that period. It’s a full exposition of how social media had real life dire consequences.

SocProf reviewed The Chaos Machine by Max Fisher

The problem with social media platforms is social media platforms

5 stars

That is the main thesis of the book: that the algorithms deployed by giants like Facebook, Youtube, and Twitter do not just allow like-minded people to find each other but that they actively push people together into extremist bubbles through their recommendation engines, up to and including genocide (as in Myanmar and Sri Lanka). The book goes through what seems to be considered now the origin story of radicalization and harassment via social media: gamergate. Things got worse from there, all the way to the January 6th attempted coup. The throughline is how social media platforms algorithmically push people towards extremism and outrage (which is more likely to be found on the right... see Irony and Outrage on this) because outrage keeps people glued to the platforms. The platforms want people on as much as possible, and if the way to get it is to destroy democracy, spread disinformation, destroy …

That is the main thesis of the book: that the algorithms deployed by giants like Facebook, Youtube, and Twitter do not just allow like-minded people to find each other but that they actively push people together into extremist bubbles through their recommendation engines, up to and including genocide (as in Myanmar and Sri Lanka). The book goes through what seems to be considered now the origin story of radicalization and harassment via social media: gamergate. Things got worse from there, all the way to the January 6th attempted coup. The throughline is how social media platforms algorithmically push people towards extremism and outrage (which is more likely to be found on the right... see Irony and Outrage on this) because outrage keeps people glued to the platforms. The platforms want people on as much as possible, and if the way to get it is to destroy democracy, spread disinformation, destroy any chance at public health, and violence, then so be it. Throughout the book, Fisher shows how the platform leaders knew the impact of their algorithm and did nothing, as one extremist event unfolded after another, rooted on the platforms, and yet they did nothing because the business model demands this. So it is not simply extremists finding each other actively on social media, it is social media pushing not just extremists but regular people into extremists groups or channels for the sake attention and data. It is deeply depressing and yet important. And because the platforms have learned nothing (and rolled back some of the measures they reluctantly took in 2020), we can expect more as the 2024 US presidential election approaches. All the more reasons to get off these platforms.

emmadilemma

rated it

Jan 14

Chaos Machine

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