Thread by @MilesParks, People are more online right now than ever before, in the history [...]

Miles Parks

MilesParks

People are more online right now than ever before, in the history of the world. It's not even something people think about; it's passive.

But it's going to have real effects on our brains and will certainly be felt in November. My latest for @nprpolitics https://www.npr.org/2020/05/27/860369744/social-media-usage-is-at-an-all-time-high-that-could-mean-a-nightmare-for-democr

Social Media Usage Is At An All-Time High. That Could Mean A Nightmare For Democracy

Studies show that social media polarizes its users. The pandemic means more Americans are on it than ever. What does that mean to a nation attempting to govern itself?

https://www.npr.org/2020/05/27/860369744/social-media-usage-is-at-an-all-time-high-that-could-mean-a-nightmare-for-democr

The confluence of intense anxiety about our health, and intense feelings about our government's response make us more susceptible to false information.

Strong emotions = more likely to believe false information. https://www.npr.org/2019/10/29/774541010/fake-news-is-scary-heres-how-to-spot-misinformation

Fake News: How To Spot Misinformation

Where can you find accurate news? Life Kit wants to empower you to become a savvy, critical media consumer. This episode has five takeaways that will help you ask important questions to spot fake...

https://www.npr.org/2019/10/29/774541010/fake-news-is-scary-heres-how-to-spot-misinformation

And there's research that points to social media having a polarizing effect.

A new WSJ story reported that Facebook has even had internal discussions about this

"Our algorithms exploit the human brain’s attraction to divisiveness” read 1 slide https://www.wsj.com/articles/facebook-knows-it-encourages-division-top-executives-nixed-solutions-11590507499

Facebook Knows It Encourages Division. Top Executives Nixed Solutions.

The social-media giant internally studied how it polarizes users and how it might address the resulting harms, then largely shelved the research.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/facebook-knows-it-encourages-division-top-executives-nixed-solutions-11590507499

So people are spending more time than ever before on websites that are KNOWN to further divides in society.

It's just a reminder that we are living in a giant social experiment. And no one, I mean NO ONE, knows how this thing resolves itself...

You can follow @MilesParks.

Tip: mention @twtextapp on a Twitter thread with the keyword “unroll” to get a link to it.

Latest Threads Unrolled: