Coronaviral: What the Hack?
The recent pandemic surged a tidal wave of misinformation. As social media becomes increasingly influential in our daily lives, society grows more trusting in the information crossing our screens. Are we facing too much incoming information at once to truly validate opposing opinions? In “#COVID19: Social media both a blessing and a curse during coronavirus pandemic,” S. Harris Ali and Fuyuki Kursawa argue that the rumors surrounding the pandemic have become an infodemic. Near the beginning of COVID-19 lockdowns, many people joined the #FilmYourHospital trend to prove the pandemic was a hoax. We exist in a "post-truth society" where the subjective opinions of conspiracy theorists contend with validated biomedical facts because accepting these rumors as truth is simpler than verification. Another key complication: to minimize backlash, leaders and role models cautiously deliberate which information to circulate to the public, opening opportunities for insatiable gossip.
While fueling the disorientation of misinformation, social media incites confirmation bias, meaning we accept what we already believe before trusting opposing viewpoints. Eli Pariser refers to the data mining behind confirmation bias as a "filter bubble" used to sort out the information social platforms think we want to hear, regardless of accuracy. In turn, this magnifies polarization in differing opinions. How do social platforms know what we want? Internet browsing records and sifts through data to organize individualized content. Doing this puts sponsored content directly in front of the consumers who want it. You get social media usage for free, but not because Facebook cares about your financial well-being. Advertisers pay for your social media use because your views are the product being sold.
"You don't pay for Facebook. Advertisers pay for Facebook. You get to use it for free because your eyeballs are what's being sold there."
Ramsay Brown
Ramsay Brown states, "A computer programmer who now understands how the brain works knows how to write code that will get the brain to do certain things." In essence, the brains behind your devices and social platforms are engineering their programs and applications to encourage your dependency on their use. According to the article '“What is "Brain Hacking"? Tech Insiders on Why You Should Care,” Anderson Cooper discusses the addiction to your devices. The apps most frequently used are designed to be addicting, similar to a slot machine. Former Google project manager, Tristan Harris, describes the psychology behind it: you get an exciting reward (likes, comments, shares, etc.) so you return for another.