Max Fisher, a New York Times investigative reporter and author of 'The Chaos Machine', dives deep into how social media rewires our brains and behaviors. He discusses its dark role in fostering division and violence, revealing the chilling impact of algorithms on human morality. Fisher highlights the terrifying implications of misinformation and how outrage is engineered to boost engagement. He also raises critical questions about free speech and the urgent need for a shift toward healthier tech consumption in today's society.
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question_answer ANECDOTE
Myanmar Genocide
Max Fisher initially dismissed social media's impact, viewing it as a neutral amplifier.
His perspective shifted after witnessing social media's role in the Myanmar genocide.
insights INSIGHT
Global Influence
Social media's influence is global, not just an American issue, as seen in various incidents worldwide.
These incidents, ranging from village violence to political shifts, often link back to social media's algorithmic power.
question_answer ANECDOTE
2013 India Incident
A 2013 incident in India, involving rumors spread through Facebook, led to widespread violence and displacement.
This highlighted social media's potential to incite violence even with its more rudimentary algorithms.
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The Chaos Machine: The Inside Story of How Social Media Rewired Our Minds and Our World
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Max Fisher is a New York Times investigative reporter, Pulitzer Prize finalist, and author of the vitally important book: 'The Chaos Machine: The Inside Story of How Social Media Rewired Our Minds and Our World'—a referendum on Big Tech and the social media platforms that that have come to monopolize our attention, foment division and fracture our world.
Today's conversation covers Max’s journey to reporting on social media and politics, the specific ways social media changes its users’ morality, and how algorithms can make users more prone to violence.
We also dive into cutting-edge research on how social media inculcates a super-exaggerated feeling of outrage and intolerance, making users more likely to believe misinformation and the complicated role of
free speech in it all.
Finally, we discuss the implications of data harvesting human behavior—and why social media addiction is so terrifying.
The Rich Roll Podcast 
