Conversation

If one news outlet decides not to run outrageous, incendiary, 'engaging' headlines—they get outcompeted by those who do. If one social network decides not to use algorithms that maximize engagement—they lose users to those who do. How do we escape this trap of bad incentives?

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Jesse Powell

@jespow

Jun 9, 2020

You can do all the gnarly stuff but give users more control. Social networks should have advanced screeners, filters, sort, grouping, scoring based on web of trust, etc.

Bobby Goodlatte

@rsg

Jun 9, 2020

Even if you give users control, there still would be a default setting, right? I only care about what that default is. The defaults are what matter.

Jesse Powell

@jespow

Replying to

@rsg

For broader society? You can’t save them from themselves. If your liquor store doesn’t sell cigarettes, it’s going out of business. Best you can do is give people better filters to avoid wasting time looking at the stuff they don’t want.

5:38 AM · Jun 9, 2020Twitter for iPhone

Replying to

I don't like the idea turning over control of the commons to whomever can make the most addictive products, imposing a collective cost they don't have to bear themselves. It just becomes a race to exploit the public.

Jesse Powell

@jespow

Jun 9, 2020

It’s the opium of our time. We can ban it, or we can massively upgrade education, create safe viewing sites, social rehab facilities, misinfo reprogramming therapy. I agree it has a high, externalized cost. Where do you draw the line? What about video games?

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