How Gamergate foreshadowed the toxic hellscape that the internet has now become

Social Media Companies Want You to Be Outraged — Here's How to Avoid Their Trap

Social media algorithms push inflammatory content to hold our attention. But there are ways to keep yourself from falling for it.

How Gamergate foreshadowed the toxic hellscape that the internet has now become

Gamergate was one of the earliest indications that what happened online could have major implications offline — and that a few people who understood the mechanics of the internet could manipulate it to advance a nefarious agenda.

When Facebook Messed With Its User Emotions

This newsletter is deliberately short. Like, extremely short. Why? I don’t want you suffering a case of memory interference (the concept’s been around since the 1960s, look-up Leo Postman).Anyway, here’s the point, you need to do this: go onto your YouTube homepage, pick a video, and now scroll down.Thanks for reading Tech, Power & Media! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.Once you hit the bottom of the page, scroll back…

The growth of the extreme right around the world happens in online environments, everyone knows. Men and boys resentful of their own lives, in addition to some women, are identified on platforms such as Discord, Telegram, Reddit, 4chan, Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. They are invited to meetings, courses, lectures, mentoring, coaching that teach how all frustration with one's own life has a cause and a culprit: feminist movements, LGBTQIA+, …