Media giants such as Facebook, YouTube and Twitter claim to champion free speech, unite people and make the world a better place. In his new book (2022) Max Fisher provides a compelling, if not frightening, argument that these media platforms have failed in their stated missions, and are contributing to a world polarized, not by fact based truth, but by misinformation, anger, threats and fear.
His opening chapters reveal why social media can become addictive. He calls this phenomenon the “casino effect.” Receiving “likes” and having our posts shared provides a dopamine rush akin to hitting the play again button on a slot machine. The platforms and their algorithms are designed to utilize habit forming features. Like Pavlov’s dog we gradually get hooked on checking for the next social media hit. He states that the average American checks their smartphone 150 times a day, often to check social media.