The Dilemma

The problem beneath all other problems

Technology’s promise to keep us connected has given rise to a host of unintended consequences that are catching up with us. If we can’t address our broken information ecosystem, we’ll never be able to address the challenges that plague humanity.

A 5,000 person study found that higher social media use correlated with self-reported declines in mental and physical health and life satisfaction.

American Journal of Epidemiology, 2017

Persuasive design techniques like push notifications and infinite scroll have created a feedback loop that keeps us hooked.

DILEMMA BONUS CLIPS

The # of countries with political disinformation campaigns on social media doubled in the past two years.

the new York Times
2019

Surveillance-based advertising and amplification gives bad actors the tools to sow unrest and fuel political divisions.

64% of the people who joined extremist groups on Facebook did so because the algorithms steered them there.

Internal Facebook report
2018

Algorithms promote content that sparks outrage, hate, and amplifies biases within the data that we feed them.

BONUS INTERVIEWS

Questioning your beliefs

Aza Raskin – Center for Humane Technology, Co-Founder

Renée DiResta – Stanford Internet Observatory, Research Manager

The Twitter-fication of our world

Maryanne Wolf – Director, UCLA Center for Dyslexia, Diverse Learners, & Social Justice

Choosing technology mindfully

Justin Rosenstein – Former Engineer, Facebook & Co-Founder, Asana

Social media is not free

Justin Rosenstein – Former Engineer, Facebook & Co-Founder, Asana

Information as food

Dr. Adam Gazalley – Univ. of California, Prof. of Neurology, Psychology & Psychiatry

Your brain on social media

Dr. Anna Lembke – Stanford University, School of Medicine

Looking for more?

READING LIST

Further reading on our shared social dilemma:

READ

Our Brains Are No Match for Our Technology

Tristan Harris

New York Times

READ

The Dark Psychology of Social Networks

Jonathan Haidt

The Atlantic

listen

Surveillance Capitalism

Shoshana Zuboff

Harvard Business Review

WATCH

The Truth About Algorithms

Cathy O’Neill

RSA

WATCH

Want to Work for Google? You Already Do.

Joe Toscano

TEDx Talks