Hype Machine (eBook)

A landmark insider's tour of how social media affects our decision-making and shapes our world in ways both useful and dangerous, with critical ideas on how to protect ourselves in the 2020 election and beyond';The most important book of the year . . . a lively, engaging masterpiece.'Erik Brynjolfsson, bestselling co-author ofThe Second Machine AgeMIT professor Sinan Aral isn't only one oftheworld's leading experts on social mediahe's also an entrepreneur and investor, giving him an unparalleled 360-degree view ofthetechnology's great promise as well as its outsize capacity to damage our politics, our economy, and even our personal health.Drawing on two decades of his own research and business experience, Aral goes underthehood ofthebiggest, most powerful social networks to tacklethecritical question of just how much social media actually shapes our choices, for better or worse. Aral shows howthetech behind social media offersthe same set of behavior-influencing levers to both Russian hackers and brand marketersto everyone who hopes to changethe way we think and actwhich is why its consequences affect everything from elections to business, dating to health. Alongtheway, he covers a wide array of topics, including how network effects fuel Twitter's and Facebook's massive growth tothe neuroscience of how social media affects our brains,thereal consequences of fake news,thepower of social ratings, andtheimpact of social media on our kids.In mapping out strategies for being more thoughtful consumers of social media, The Hype Machine offers the definitive guide to understanding and harnessing for good the technology that has redefined our world overnight.