From: mk_thisisit
Journalist Max Fisher, nominated for the Cersa Pool Award in 2019 for his investigative report on how social media algorithms affect chaos globally, discusses the profound and often detrimental impact of these platforms on society and democracy, as detailed in his book “In the Modes of Chaos” [01:06:00].
Social Media’s Impact on Violence and Death
Fisher asserts that social media indirectly “kills people” [01:50:00]. While not in the same direct way as cigarettes, he has come to believe, after years of study, that social media can lead to death through the behaviors it instigates [02:07:00]. Although the effect on an individual may seem small, the platforms operate on the scale of billions of people daily [02:31:00]. By pushing politics in more dangerous, divisive, or hateful directions, social media has contributed to significant loss of life [02:35:00].
Notable instances where racist hatred and violence were triggered by social media include:
- The genocide in Myanmar [02:42:00]
- Violence in Sri Lanka [02:44:00]
- Communal violence in India [02:46:00]
In several extreme cases, some platforms have even admitted to their role [03:01:00].
Corporate Responsibility and Algorithm Design
Fisher believes that the creators of these platforms, such as Mark Zuckerberg, are responsible for these huge dramas globally [03:10:00]. While they may not have intended to harm people—Mark Zuckerberg, for example, genuinely thought he was creating something to help [03:36:00]—the managers of these companies had evidence from their own researchers repeatedly warning that the platforms trigger behavior leading to violence and death [03:42:00]. Facebook researchers, for instance, warned about this in the case of Myanmar [03:58:00].
The core issue lies in how these platforms operate:
- Algorithms [05:08:00]: These systems are designed to maximize user time spent on platforms to increase revenue [05:16:00].
- Human Nature Exploitation [05:28:00]: Because of how the human mind works, content that is most stimulating and keeps users engaged often involves fear of others, a sense of “us versus them,” conspiracy theories, hatred, and collective outrage [05:39:00]. This feedback loop artificially amplifies extremist and conspiratorial media [05:52:00].
Max Fisher’s investigation revealed that social media consistently fueled racial hatred and drove political polarization [07:17:00].
User Behavior and Addiction
Despite widespread criticism, people continue to use social media daily, creating a sense of hypocrisy [08:38:00]. Social media has become so effective that it is “impossible to move in the modern world without using these platforms” [09:10:00]. The platforms are designed to foster addiction, with companies like Facebook and Google hiring top minds in artificial intelligence and computer programming to achieve this goal [09:35:00].
A historical example of this manipulative design is Facebook’s introduction of the News Feed in 2006 [10:59:00]. Initially, some users disliked it due to privacy concerns [13:00:00]. However, the News Feed’s design, by broadcasting user actions and allowing groups to form around social outrage, effectively created an “illusion of the majority” [13:59:00]. This harnessed the human instinct for conformity and amplified engagement, leading to increased traffic for Facebook [14:55:00]. This early incident demonstrated how even primitive versions of these platforms could generate massive waves of outrage and disinformation through how they presented information [15:12:00].
Impact on Elections and Political Polarization
Social media has had a significant impact on presidential elections in the United States, including in 2016 and 2020 [17:19:00]. While it’s difficult to quantify the exact number of votes influenced, social media’s effects are dispersed, making users more susceptible to polarization or conspiracy theories [17:33:00].
The 2016 US election saw platforms like Facebook and Twitter heavily amplify sources like Breitbart News, a far-right news source focusing on conspiracy theories that supported Donald Trump [18:09:00]. When these platforms later adjusted their algorithms, Breitbart News’s audience on these platforms sharply declined, demonstrating how algorithms artificially amplified its reach by promoting content likely to encourage engagement and sharing [18:24:00].
Regulating Social Media
Fisher suggests that when a product distorts politics and harms people on such a scale, legal regulations should be considered [21:24:00]. There is a growing consensus that current regulations, often focused on content moderation (like Germany’s law restricting certain content), are “regulating the wrong area” [21:33:00].
The fundamental problem is that platforms are designed to artificially promote content that fosters division and hatred [21:58:00]. The only effective way to regulate, according to Fisher, is to introduce regulations that address the design of the systems themselves, specifically affecting algorithms and content promotion [22:11:00].
The Crisis of Democracy
Fisher believes that there is a global crisis of democracy [29:33:00]. While the trends leading to this crisis began in the 1990s, before social media became ubiquitous, social media undeniably accelerates polarization [29:57:00]. Even if social media were removed, the crisis would persist, but the platforms certainly worsen it [30:12:00]. Social media plays a very clear role in shaping what people think, how they perceive reality, what news they care about, and how it affects their sense of identity and politics [30:23:00].