We've entered the information age, but information is not actually the economically scarce resource; most information is just a google search away. The currency of the modern internet is our own attention. Recommendation AI and especially social media networks select which information is shown to us. This gives the platforms unprecedented power over public discourse.

Because the internet is funded based on advertising, all social media and entertainment platforms try to keep users on the site for the maximum time possible. This allows them to be shown more ads. However, the user might not be happy during this time period, because strong emotions including anger will keep users on the site. This leads to dramatically increased polarization and very negative side effects, such as genocide in Myanmar.

These issues could be addressed if the optimization goal of social media were changed. However, there's no financial incentive for these companies to do so. They're already making hundreds of dollars off of each user per year. We discuss how generative AI might tip the scales, and options for decentralized systems or legislation to improve matters. Even without platform change, we can all improve our discourse by spreading awareness of the attention-maximizing nature of social media.

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#socialmedia #recommendation #ai

The Chaos Machine: The Inside Story of How Social Media Rewired Our Minds and Our World
https://www.amazon.ca/Chaos-Machine-I...

The Chaos Machine by Max Fisher review – how social media rewired our world
https://www.theguardian.com/books/202...

The Attention Economy - How They Addict Us
   • The Attention Economy - How They Addi...  

Addictive potential of social media, explained
https://scopeblog.stanford.edu/2021/1...

Facebook average revenue per user (ARPU) as of third quarter 2023, by region
https://www.statista.com/statistics/2...

Study: Many publishers’ EU sites are faster and ad-free under GDPR
https://www.marketingdive.com/news/st...

The Making of a YouTube Radical
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2...

Little Brother by Cory Doctorow
  / 954674.little_brother  

Science Shows: Humans Have Massive Capacity For Sustained Attention, And Storytelling Unlocks It
https://www.forbes.com/sites/shanesno...

0:00 Intro
0:27 Contents
0:33 Part 1: Defining attention
0:51 Example: Deep Work
1:34 What we pay attention to
2:05 Attention is scarcity in the information economy
2:30 Why do we say "pay" attention?
2:50 Default mode: when you're not paying attention
3:29 Consciousness uses energy
3:43 Comparison with exercise
4:27 Practicing attention (concentration)
4:58 Part 2: The attention economy
5:33 Social media overview
5:55 Why people participate in social networks
6:30 Social media platform business model
6:49 Cory Doctorow quote
7:31 Social media algorithms maximize total time
8:00 Invoking really strong emotions
8:25 Example: engagement with vaccination posts
9:03 Selection bias leads to polarization
9:45 Polarization summary
10:01 Social media impact on society
10:29 Book: The Chaos Machine
11:21 Example: 4chan attention economy
11:33 Example: Myanmar genocide
12:31 Filter bubbles on political messaging
13:15 Part 3: Changing the optimization target
13:22 Facebook makes $200 per user per year
14:01 GDPR forced some sites to go ad-free
14:53 How the advertising ecosystem works
15:37 Why brands pay for ads
15:59 Insight: Can optimize for any variable
16:39 Problem: Profit maximization
16:55 Generative AI may help somewhat
17:36 Decentralized social media: Mastodon
18:39 Each Mastodon server runs its own algorithm
19:03 YouTube is also attention maximizing
19:47 How to think about social media
20:41 Conclusion
21:14 Social media platforms influence how we think
22:01 Social level communication is difficult
22:35 Outro