Episode
#291 – Jonathan Haidt: The Case Against Social Media
1:48:45
Published: Sat Jun 04 2022
Description
Jonathan Haidt is a social psychologist at NYU and author of The Coddling of the American Mind, The Righteous Mind, and The Happiness Hypothesis. Please support this podcast by checking out our sponsors: - Uncruise: https://uncruise.com/pages/lex - Notion: https://notion.com/startups to get up to $1000 off team plan - Blinkist: https://blinkist.com/lex and use code LEX to get 25% off premium - Magic Spoon: https://magicspoon.com/lex and use code LEX to get $5 off - Eight Sleep: https://www.eightsleep.com/lex and use code LEX to get special savings EPISODE LINKS: Jonathan's Twitter: https://twitter.com/JonHaidt Jonathan's Website: https://jonathanhaidt.com Documents & Articles: 1. Social Media and Political Dysfunction: A Collaborative Review: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1vVAtMCQnz8WVxtSNQev_e1cGmY9rnY96ecYuAj6C548/edit 2. Teen Mental Health Testimony: https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/Haidt%20Testimony.pdf 3. The Atlantic article: https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2022/05/social-media-democracy-trust-babel/629369/ Books: 1. The Coddling of the American Mind (book): https://amzn.to/3MW4HqL 2. The Righteous Mind (book): https://amzn.to/3to0tkj 3. The Happiness Hypothesis (book): https://amzn.to/3Mb1xP2 PODCAST INFO: Podcast website: https://lexfridman.com/podcast Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2lwqZIr Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2nEwCF8 RSS: https://lexfridman.com/feed/podcast/ YouTube Full Episodes: https://youtube.com/lexfridman YouTube Clips: https://youtube.com/lexclips SUPPORT & CONNECT: - Check out the sponsors above, it's the best way to support this podcast - Support on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/lexfridman - Twitter: https://twitter.com/lexfridman - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lexfridman - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lexfridman - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lexfridman - Medium: https://medium.com/@lexfridman OUTLINE: Here's the timestamps for the episode. On some podcast players you should be able to click the timestamp to jump to that time. (00:00) - Introduction (07:57) - Social media and mental health (21:45) - Mark Zuckerberg (31:23) - Children's use of social media (42:08) - Social media and democracy (58:14) - Elon Musk and Twitter (1:14:45) - Anonymity on social media (1:20:44) - Misinformation (1:27:38) - Social media benefits (1:30:22) - Political division on social media (1:36:54) - Future of social media (1:42:46) - Advice for young people
Chapters
Jonathan Haidt, social psychologist at NYU, discusses the negative effects of social media on the human mind and civilization, and offers suggestions for how we can do better to lessen the amount of depression and division in the world.
00:00 - 02:46 (02:46)
Summary
Jonathan Haidt, social psychologist at NYU, discusses the negative effects of social media on the human mind and civilization, and offers suggestions for how we can do better to lessen the amount of depression and division in the world.
Episode#291 – Jonathan Haidt: The Case Against Social Media
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
The speaker advertises 8 Sleep mattresses and Pod Pro covers, Magic Spoon cereal, and Blinkist book summaries in this podcast.
02:46 - 08:05 (05:18)
Summary
The speaker advertises 8 Sleep mattresses and Pod Pro covers, Magic Spoon cereal, and Blinkist book summaries in this podcast.
Episode#291 – Jonathan Haidt: The Case Against Social Media
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
The discussion revolves around how the teachings of parenting and education lead to the anti-fragility of the human mind in interaction with social media platforms and other humans through social media while highlighting the individual psychology at play.
08:05 - 13:08 (05:02)
Summary
The discussion revolves around how the teachings of parenting and education lead to the anti-fragility of the human mind in interaction with social media platforms and other humans through social media while highlighting the individual psychology at play. Additionally, the conversation talks about the impact of social media on the mental health of teenagers.
Episode#291 – Jonathan Haidt: The Case Against Social Media
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
The inventor of the Like button and author of "A World Without Email", Cal Newport, joins Sam Harris to discuss the harmful impact of social media on pre-teen girls due to the Like and Retweet mechanisms that prioritize virality over personal connection.
13:09 - 16:57 (03:48)
Summary
The inventor of the Like button and author of "A World Without Email", Cal Newport, joins Sam Harris to discuss the harmful impact of social media on pre-teen girls due to the Like and Retweet mechanisms that prioritize virality over personal connection.
Episode#291 – Jonathan Haidt: The Case Against Social Media
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
The business model of social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok may not add much to the internet and adding too much of it can be harmful, especially to teenagers, as studies have shown.
16:57 - 21:36 (04:38)
Summary
The business model of social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok may not add much to the internet and adding too much of it can be harmful, especially to teenagers, as studies have shown.
Episode#291 – Jonathan Haidt: The Case Against Social Media
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
This podcast episode discusses how social media might contribute to the plenum of mental health issues among teenagers, citing a collaborative review of research literature as evidence.
21:36 - 26:02 (04:25)
Summary
This podcast episode discusses how social media might contribute to the plenum of mental health issues among teenagers, citing a collaborative review of research literature as evidence.
Episode#291 – Jonathan Haidt: The Case Against Social Media
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
Research on social media's impact on well-being is often misinterpreted, with the media reporting correlations as much smaller than they actually are.
26:02 - 29:51 (03:49)
Summary
Research on social media's impact on well-being is often misinterpreted, with the media reporting correlations as much smaller than they actually are. This can lead to misconceptions about the impact of social media use on mental health.
Episode#291 – Jonathan Haidt: The Case Against Social Media
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
Researchers call for access to de-identified data on social media use in kids, as it can explain the mental health epidemic.
29:51 - 33:18 (03:26)
Summary
Researchers call for access to de-identified data on social media use in kids, as it can explain the mental health epidemic. While a little social media use isn't correlated with harm, the data shows that excessive use is.
Episode#291 – Jonathan Haidt: The Case Against Social Media
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
The possibility of designing a platform that challenges the ad-driven model, recommender systems, and virality mechanisms while leading to growth and anti-fragility without causing depression, self-harm, and suicide among Gen Z kids who got on social media before puberty is discussed.
33:18 - 39:56 (06:38)
Summary
The possibility of designing a platform that challenges the ad-driven model, recommender systems, and virality mechanisms while leading to growth and anti-fragility without causing depression, self-harm, and suicide among Gen Z kids who got on social media before puberty is discussed.
Episode#291 – Jonathan Haidt: The Case Against Social Media
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
This episode discusses the responsibility of social media companies in maximizing long-term happiness to increase the well-being of users rather than driving them towards political propaganda and horror stories, which puts them in defend mode.
39:56 - 46:31 (06:35)
Summary
This episode discusses the responsibility of social media companies in maximizing long-term happiness to increase the well-being of users rather than driving them towards political propaganda and horror stories, which puts them in defend mode.
Episode#291 – Jonathan Haidt: The Case Against Social Media
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
The story of the Tower of Babel from the Bible is often misunderstood.
46:32 - 51:02 (04:30)
Summary
The story of the Tower of Babel from the Bible is often misunderstood. It isn’t about God punishing people for trying to build a tower to reach heaven, it’s about the dangers of homogeneity and the importance of diversity in society.
Episode#291 – Jonathan Haidt: The Case Against Social Media
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
Social media has enabled a small number of people to become catalysts for division and cause viral waves that lead to different kinds of division.
51:02 - 58:57 (07:54)
Summary
Social media has enabled a small number of people to become catalysts for division and cause viral waves that lead to different kinds of division. It's not fair to blame the majority for the actions of a small number who are skilled at using social media to destroy others.
Episode#291 – Jonathan Haidt: The Case Against Social Media
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
The CEO's of major companies should not publicly declare their partisan views as it sets a precedent for corporations to be major players in the culture world, and companies would benefit from a Geneva Convention to prevent the culture war from affecting their operations.
58:57 - 1:06:11 (07:14)
Summary
The CEO's of major companies should not publicly declare their partisan views as it sets a precedent for corporations to be major players in the culture world, and companies would benefit from a Geneva Convention to prevent the culture war from affecting their operations.
Episode#291 – Jonathan Haidt: The Case Against Social Media
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
Elon Musk's suggestion to authenticate all humans on social media has caused various reactions, with the left calling for more content moderation and the right celebrating it.
1:06:12 - 1:13:26 (07:13)
Summary
Elon Musk's suggestion to authenticate all humans on social media has caused various reactions, with the left calling for more content moderation and the right celebrating it. Despite the outcome, the suggestion presents opportunities to discuss solutions for making social media a beneficial component for democracy.
Episode#291 – Jonathan Haidt: The Case Against Social Media
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
Various schemes exist that allow for anonymous identity authentication through the use of biometrics or blockchain technology, among others, which can improve the privacy and security of online interactions.
1:13:26 - 1:17:05 (03:39)
Summary
Various schemes exist that allow for anonymous identity authentication through the use of biometrics or blockchain technology, among others, which can improve the privacy and security of online interactions.
Episode#291 – Jonathan Haidt: The Case Against Social Media
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
The incentive structure on Twitter is contributing to a toxic public square where bad behavior is rewarded, despite the negative impact on the ability to have meaningful conversations.
1:17:05 - 1:20:15 (03:09)
Summary
The incentive structure on Twitter is contributing to a toxic public square where bad behavior is rewarded, despite the negative impact on the ability to have meaningful conversations.
Episode#291 – Jonathan Haidt: The Case Against Social Media
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
Content moderation is not as important as people think according to a podcast host while discussing the importance of identifying information types, including disinformation and misinformation, as well as their impacts on society.
1:20:15 - 1:25:23 (05:08)
Summary
Content moderation is not as important as people think according to a podcast host while discussing the importance of identifying information types, including disinformation and misinformation, as well as their impacts on society.
Episode#291 – Jonathan Haidt: The Case Against Social Media
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
While there are positive and negative aspects to social media use, more focus should be put on fixing the dynamics rather than just the content moderation and free speech aspects of it, according to a recent podcast discussion.
1:25:23 - 1:30:36 (05:12)
Summary
While there are positive and negative aspects to social media use, more focus should be put on fixing the dynamics rather than just the content moderation and free speech aspects of it, according to a recent podcast discussion.
Episode#291 – Jonathan Haidt: The Case Against Social Media
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
Academic studies have found that social media use is not a major contributor to polarization.
1:30:36 - 1:37:49 (07:12)
Summary
Academic studies have found that social media use is not a major contributor to polarization. While there may be some increase in polarization in some countries, other countries are seeing a decrease or no significant change.
Episode#291 – Jonathan Haidt: The Case Against Social Media
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
Social media platforms need regulation, especially on matters such as sending alerts and notifications to children late at night.
1:37:49 - 1:47:36 (09:47)
Summary
Social media platforms need regulation, especially on matters such as sending alerts and notifications to children late at night. Public algorithms are an essential tool towards a less damaging social media experience.
Episode#291 – Jonathan Haidt: The Case Against Social Media
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
Lex Fridman speaks with social psychologist Jonathan Haidt about the moral foundations of politics, the challenge of censorship in education, and the concept of moral luck.
1:47:36 - 1:48:37 (01:00)
Summary
Lex Fridman speaks with social psychologist Jonathan Haidt about the moral foundations of politics, the challenge of censorship in education, and the concept of moral luck.