Making Sense with Sam Harris - Subscriber Content

#378 - Digital Delusions

Aug 2, 2024

Renée DiResta, a leading researcher on misinformation, dives into the chaotic world of digital influence and propaganda. She explores how social media distorts public consensus and heightens polarization. DiResta shares her insights on vaccine discourse during the pandemic and reveals the role of the Stanford Internet Observatory in studying online adversarial behavior. The podcast also critiques the misconception of social media as a public square, highlighting the power dynamics and misinformation that threaten electoral integrity.

01:25:17

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Episode guests

Renée DiResta

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Quick takeaways

Renée DiResta emphasizes the distinction between harmful propaganda and benign persuasion, highlighting the ethical implications of influencing public opinion in modern discourse.

The rise of niche communities on social media has fostered echo chambers that distort consensus and increase polarization, complicating cross-ideological dialogue.

Audience capture significantly affects content creators, driving them towards extreme positions to maintain engagement, ultimately undermining honest discourse and moderation.

Deep dives

Trump's Controversial Performance

Trump's recent appearance at the National Association of Black Journalists raised eyebrows with his controversial remarks, particularly when he questioned Kamala Harris's racial identity in front of a predominantly Black audience. This incident highlighted Trump's outdated understanding of race and politics, evoking the trope of a bygone era where racial ignorance was more commonplace. Observers noted Trump's strange hand gestures and responses, which suggested a disconnect from contemporary social issues. The response from Harris has been measured, allowing her surrogates to address the comments while maintaining an air of grace, which may serve her better in the long run.

Intro

6min

The Power and Perils of Modern Propaganda

15min

Navigating Vaccine Controversies

23min

Navigating Misinformation and Online Dynamics

21min

Navigating Political Pressures in Academia

3min

The Illusion of the Digital Public Square

2min

Navigating the Maze of Misinformation

10min

The Role of Social Media in Election Manipulation

3min

Share this episode: https://www.samharris.org/podcasts/making-sense-episodes/378-digital-delusions

Sam Harris speaks with Renée DiResta about the state of our information landscape. They discuss the difference between influence and propaganda, shifts in communication technology, influencers and closed communities, the asymmetry of passion online and the illusion of consensus, the unwillingness to criticize one's own side, audience capture, what we should have learned from the Covid pandemic, what is unique about vaccines, Renée's work at the Stanford Internet Observatory, her experience of being smeared by Michael Shellenberger and Matt Taibbi, Elon Musk and the Twitter files, the false analogy of social media as a digital public square, the imagined "censorship-industrial complex," the 2024 presidential election, and other topics.

Renée DiResta is a social media researcher and the author of Invisible Rulers: The People Who Turn Lies Into Reality. Her work focuses on adversarial abuse online, including child safety issues, spammers and scammers, and influence campaigns run by state actors. From 2019 to 2023, she was the Technical Research Manager at the Stanford Internet Observatory, a cross-disciplinary program of research, teaching, and policy engagement for the study of abuse in current information technologies.

Renée has advised Congress and the executive branch, as well as academic, civic, and business organizations on technology policy and trust & safety topics, including information operations, generative AI, election security, data transparency, and child safety.

Website: reneediresta.com

Learning how to train your mind is the single greatest investment you can make in life. That’s why Sam Harris created the Waking Up app. From rational mindfulness practice to lessons on some of life’s most important topics, join Sam as he demystifies the practice of meditation and explores the theory behind it.

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