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The Chaos Machine
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The Chaos Machine

The Inside Story of How Social Media Rewired Our Minds and Our World

Max Fisher
Little, Brown US, 2022
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Editorial Rating

9

Qualities

  • Controversial
  • Comprehensive
  • Concrete Examples

Recommendation

Optimistic users thought social media would create a global town square where everyone has an equal voice. Instead, social media’s algorithms learned that the most addictive videos, posts and memes are those that push political tribalism, racism, sexism, and conspiracy theories. Many social media platforms have become simmering cauldrons of partisanship, false conspiracy theories, and violent rhetoric that has repeatedly boiled over into real-world violence. In this absorbing 2022 report – still relevant in its social media analysis, though written before Twitter became X and before President-elect Donald Trump’s re-election – New York Times reporter Max Fisher draws on in-depth research to hold social media sites accountable for exploiting extremism and misinformation to boost revenue.

Summary

In the 2010s, social media helped incite violent incidents worldwide.

Silicon Valley has touted technology as an impetus for good. For example, when Myanmar joined the internet, Google CEO Eric Schmidt predicted that step would put the nation on an inevitable path to democracy. The 2011 Arab Spring uprisings supported the idea that social media could be a force for freedom.

But by 2014, Facebook, the primary internet access point for Myanmar’s citizens, had become a hotbed of racist invective against the nation’s Muslim minority. Riots erupted along with military attacks on Muslim villages. The violence in Myanmar exemplifies global turmoil that has links to social media. Facebook’s policy chief insisted the platform wasn’t to blame, claiming that it only amplified sentiments already present in Myanmar’s society. 

Social media companies have embraced algorithmic strategies to increase user engagement.

Social media companies make money selling advertising. To sell ads, they need eyeballs, and that means ever-increasing user engagement. Early on, Facebook used psychological&#...

About the Author

Max Fisher is an international reporter and columnist for The New York Times.

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