OUTRAGE MACHINE

A study of how social media has become a driver of division and hatred.

When the internet first appeared, many observers thought it would bring people together through the exchange of information, news, and opinions. While that is true, it has also become a collection of dangerous echo chambers where minor disagreements quickly escalate into savage confrontations. Rose-Stockwell, a journalist specializing in technology issues, delves into how this happened. There are evolutionary reasons, he notes, for the human brain to focus on urgent, emotional signals, and a crucial aspect of civilization is that it tamps down instinctive responses in favor of moderation and tolerance. Social media aims at the primal parts of the psyche, including a desire to be part of a tribal in-group. The companies that run social media quickly realized that there was money to be made by promoting extremism on both sides of the political spectrum and, conversely, little profit in asking people to think rather than feel. Rose-Stockwell examines the key words, phrases, images, and ideas that are used to keep people glued to their screens, simmering with anger and fear. Eventually, the brain accepts outrage as the norm, and social ties contract to a small circle of the like-minded. The author suggests ways to reverse this pattern—e.g., think before you post, keep track of how much time you spend on social media, and seek to build relationships instead of shouting at strangers. These are solid ideas, but there is a sense of too little, too late. Like most addictions, the process of recovery begins with an acceptance that there is a problem, and it seems unlikely that the chronically outraged would do that. There is a way out of the anger trap, but you have to want to leave. Rose-Stockwell capably diagnoses the illness, but the remedy remains elusive.

Based on solid research, this is a disturbing examination of the destructive impact of social media.