False economy What’s in it for me? Understand what makes the

Argument 9: Social media platforms have a 
negative impact on our political sphere.
Citizens of democratic countries tend to believe 
in progress. They don’t think, for instance, that 
the country they live in will cease to be 
democratic; rather, they see democracy as the 
foundation for a series of other positive 
developments.
But BUMMER is changing this too. Here’s how:
The first people to start using a new social 
media platform are usually young, educated and 
cool, and they sincerely want to improve the 
world. But, even as they’re trying to effect 
positive change, BUMMER is cataloging their 
habits and actions, their preferences and 
dislikes. 
That’s 
simply 
what 
BUMMER 
algorithms do.
This puts these young idealists in an unfavorable 
position. It corrals them together, making it 
possible to barrage them with messages that, 
statistically speaking, make them a bit less 
tolerant or a bit more irritable.
In other words, it sections them off, encouraging 
tribalism.
Here’s a real-world example:
In the years leading up to the 2016 US 
presidential election, there were some major 
LGBTQ wins in the United States. Trans people 
gained wider acceptance and could more 
comfortably come out, while same-sex marriage 
became legal. Social media was no doubt 
partially to thank for these gains.
But, as you’ll remember, BUMMER tends to 
favor assholes and asshole behavior. When the 
assholes themselves figured this out, they began 
targeting LGBTQ people with derogatory 
messages and generally encouraging bigotry 
and hatred online.
Suddenly, these attitudes became more 
acceptable than they had been in decades. And 
now, in the United States, people the author 
refers to as “astonishingly extreme anti-LGBTQ 
figures” have been elected to the country’s 
highest public offices.
As long as BUMMER is around, this process will 
continue to play out in politics. As soon as a 
hopeful, idealistic movement emerges, it will be 
transformed into a targetable demographic – a 
demographic that can be manipulated and 
harassed by the world’s biggest assholes. In 
other words, as long as BUMMER is around, the 
political process will be hamstrung.

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