Outrage Machine

May 15, 2023
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.

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Starred review from May 29, 2023
Journalist Rose-Stockwell debuts with a masterful appraisal of how social media platforms feed on users’ anger. He explains that social media algorithms, which favor contentious posts and articles because they generate the most responses, tap into users’ evolutionary impulse to rally around those whose share one’s values (the “in-group”), thereby solidifying one’s allegiance to those ideals while increasing outrage toward dissenters. Rose-Stockwell improves upon previous treatments of this topic by placing online polarization in historical context, arguing that “most major technologies,” from paved roads to nuclear power, follow a trajectory in which they’re greeted with initial euphoria, give rise to anxiety over the dangers they engender, and then are regulated to temper their worst effects. For example, early American newspapers churned out rumors and gossip before the industry professionalized in the early 20th century, then cratered with the rise of the internet, which made it easier for misinformation previously filtered out by editors to proliferate. The historical perspective enlightens, and the author’s sensible suggestions—including recommendations to make algorithms more transparent and to rigorously verify that “all users are real humans”—chart a way out of the morass. The result is a superior take on how to tame social media.

July 14, 2023
When social media first came about, it was hailed as a good thing. In current times, however, it is just as likely to be vilified for the toxicity it often brings to social and political discourse. In Outrage Machine, Rose-Stockwell examines the origins of social media to determine how it devolved into such a source of negativity, disinformation, and outrage. Using his own experience as a starting point, Rose-Stockwell tells how he used an early form of social media to, in effect, move heaven and earth to help an impoverished southeast Asian village in its hour of need. He then painstakingly explains how social media, in essence, went over to the dark side. He moves on to explore various possible ways to claw it back to something more positive. Rose-Stockwell's thesis is an important one, but he tends toward an academic approach, including many graphs and charts, that may put off more casual readers. But those with appropriate levels of determination will find both his history and his thesis rewarding.

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