Podcast Summary
Facebook and Twitter: Navigating Complex Systems to Foster Positive Change: Sociologist Sudhir Venkatesh shares insights from his experiences addressing issues like bullying, harassment, hate speech, and terrorist activity at Facebook, and the challenges in fostering positive change on Twitter due to their unique ecosystems and business models.
Sociologist and ethnographer Sudhir Venkatesh, known for his research on various understudied communities including crack sellers, sex workers, gun traffickers, and the wealthy, shared insights from his experiences at Facebook and Twitter. At Facebook, he worked with the PAC Protecting Care team to address issues like bullying, harassment, hate speech, and terrorist activity. He noted that while Facebook had good intentions, its scale and business model made it challenging to fully address these problems. Transitioning to Twitter, he described a simpler ecosystem but greater challenges in fostering positive change due to the core issue of how nice people choose to be with each other online. Throughout his career, Venkatesh's work has highlighted the importance of understanding complex systems and the difficulties in addressing systemic issues within them.
Bridging the gap between virtual and real worlds: The podcast sheds light on technology's impact on our lives and the need for a better understanding of its development and consequences on democracy and society.
While there is valid criticism against the lack of oversight and regulation in the digital universe, particularly social media, it's essential to approach the discourse with a clear and informed perspective. The podcast being discussed aims to bridge the gap between the virtual and real worlds by shedding light on how technology impacts our lives, featuring interviews with industry insiders, designers, engineers, and political operatives like Tara McGowan. The failure of technology to meet outsized expectations, as seen in the Iowa caucus app debacle, underscores the need for a better understanding of how these platforms are developed and the potential consequences they may have on our democracy and society. The "move fast and break things" mentality prevalent in tech companies should be reconsidered when it comes to the impact on families, democracy, and society as a whole.
From Journalist to Political Strategist: Tera McGowan's Journey in the Digital Political Landscape: Tera McGowan, a journalist-turned-political strategist, revolutionized politics through digital campaigns with Acronym, challenging traditional methods of communication and amplifying direct communications and social media's impact.
The digital age has significantly transformed the political landscape, making it an uncharted territory where the rules of the game have been rewritten. Tera McGowan, a journalist-turned-political strategist, has been at the forefront of this revolution. She started Acronym, a political organization that executes social media campaigns in key swing states, and is known for her role in Obama's digital strategy. McGowan shares how she got into politics to affect change but felt detached from the impact she desired as a journalist. She moved to DC and eventually joined Obama's reelection campaign, where she became a digital strategist due to the campaign's focus on digital prowess. McGowan's unique perspective as a digital native led her to question the traditional methods of communication in politics, leading to the increasing importance of direct communications and social media in politics. Trump's presidency further highlighted this shift, as he ignored mainstream media and leveraged digital channels in unprecedented ways.
Obama's Digital First Campaigns Revolutionized Politics: Obama's campaigns prioritized digital tactics, reaching voters cost-effectively and at scale, and professionalizing digital consulting may have stifled innovation
The Democrats' innovative use of digital strategies during Obama's campaigns was a game-changer in politics. Digital first campaigns, which prioritize digital tactics over traditional media, became essential due to necessity, as there was no clear path to victory for Obama. This shift allowed campaigns to reach voters more cost-effectively and at scale through the internet and social media. The digital team on Obama's reelection campaign was the largest and most well-resourced from day one, while traditional media super PACs like Priorities USA had to adapt and hire digital experts to keep up. However, in the process of professionalizing digital consulting, there was a risk of losing the incentive to innovate.
Navigating high-stakes environments with authentic communication: In politics, authentic communication on native platforms is vital for reaching large audiences, despite legal restrictions and the need to fill gaps in established campaigns.
In high-stakes environments like elections, creating sustainable business models while keeping up with social media and technology innovation is crucial but challenging. Authentic communication on native platforms is key for reaching large audiences. Working on the pack side of politics, such as in super PACs, involves monitoring campaigns and filling gaps they cannot or should not address, while being legally barred from sharing valuable information. This can lead to frustration, especially when observing a lack of innovation in established campaigns. Personal relationships, even between campaign team members, can be affected by legal restrictions. Throughout it all, staying attuned to successful tactics and strategies is essential.
Right's media ecosystem vs Left's reliance on paid ads: The right's sustained media ecosystem gives them an edge over the left's heavy reliance on paid advertising in building political power.
The left and right approach building political power differently, with the right having a more sustained media ecosystem while the left relies heavily on paid advertising. This disparity was highlighted during the 2016 election, where the Trump campaign's significant investment in digital advertising and data acquisition gave them an edge. The left has been trying to catch up, but the right's head start has made it an uphill battle. Trump's campaign's continued spending on digital advertising and data acquisition has only widened the gap. The ban on political ads on platforms like Twitter and Facebook has been a topic of debate, but the reality is that the majority of misinformation spread online is organic and not through paid ads. It's crucial for the left to focus on building a sustainable media ecosystem and investing in digital infrastructure to compete effectively in the political arena.
Ban on political ads during election week may lead to misinformation: Social media companies should prioritize factual information over engaging content to prevent the spread of lies and misinformation, regardless of whether it's paid or organic.
The ban on political ads during the final week of an election, while well-intended, can lead to the dissemination of misinformation on social media platforms, particularly when right-wing media outlets are not held to the same standard. Algorithms on these platforms prioritize and scale the distribution of salacious content, making it more likely to spread rapidly. Instead of focusing on limiting targeted advertising, efforts should be made to curb the spread of lies and misinformation more effectively. This includes addressing the root cause of the problem, which is the prioritization of engaging content over factual information. Social media companies have a responsibility to solve this issue and prevent the rapid spread of lies, regardless of whether they are paid or organic.
Acronym: Building Progressive Infrastructure with a Conservative Model: Acronym, a progressive nonprofit, models its structure after conservative groups and invests in companies for political influence and charitable work.
Acronym, the organization founded by Anne Filippini, is modeled after the conservative ecosystem, specifically the Koch Brothers' infrastructure on the right. Acronym is structured as a 501c4, a nonprofit organization that can influence politics and elections directly with 49% of its work, while the remaining 51% is dedicated to charitable work. Acronym has invested in two companies: a digital agency for progressive political advertising and a for-profit local news network called Career Newsroom. The goal is to build infrastructure and deploy effective tactics within the bounds of the law, while also striving for reform. Acronym also incubated Shadow Inc., a progressive technology company that helped design the app for the Iowa caucus. The intention is to build power and infrastructure, while also being mindful of the dangers of focusing too much on moral purity tests and losing sight of the bigger picture.
Lack of oversight in tech projects can lead to crises: Underestimating the importance of oversight can result in major issues, especially in high-risk projects. It's crucial to focus on doing fewer things but doing them better.
Underestimating the need for oversight in a technology company, especially when it comes to high-risk projects, can lead to major crises. In the case of the Iowa Caucus debacle, the speaker's lack of experience and trust in a partner led to a lack of oversight, which contributed to the delay in reporting results due to a coding error in the app. The speaker learned from this experience that they couldn't solve every problem and that they needed to focus on doing fewer things but doing them better. The Career Newsroom project, on the other hand, raises questions about the nature of modern media. The digital newspapers published in key swing states may appear to be local news, but their intention is to promote progressive candidates. Whether this constitutes news, marketing, or political instruments is up for debate. Regardless, it highlights the blurred lines between these categories in today's media landscape.
Addressing the lack of local, trusted news sources: The importance of local journalism and trusted news sources in driving civic engagement cannot be overstated, especially in the context of state elections. Stelter's Acronym aimed to address this issue, and despite its uncertain future, he remains committed to the success of Courier as a permanent solution.
The lack of local, trusted news sources is leading to decreased civic participation and a void in democratic communication. Acronym, founded by Stelter, aimed to address this issue by creating a progressive media infrastructure, including the newsroom Courier. While the future of Acronym is uncertain, Stelter remains committed to the success of Courier as a permanent solution to the ongoing evolution of technology and media consumption habits. The importance of local journalism and trusted news sources in driving civic engagement cannot be overstated, especially in the context of state elections where decisions affecting our lives are made. Despite the challenges and changes in the media landscape, Stelter believes in the necessity of permanent institutions to drive innovation and communication in Democratic politics.
The Future of Democracy and Civic Life: Navigating Complex Challenges: Despite the challenges posed by technology and societal trends, strengthening personal connections and empathy are key to fostering a healthy civic society. However, finding ways to use technology to build understanding and bridge divides remains a complex issue.
The health of democracy and civic life is a complex issue influenced by technology and societal trends. Robert Putnam's essay "Bowling Alone" highlighted the importance of associational life and community engagement in fostering a healthy civic society. However, the impact of technology on these aspects is a subject of ongoing debate. Some argue for a return to pre-digital ways of engaging, while others suggest using technology to foster healthy interactions. Social media, in particular, has been criticized for reinforcing existing belief systems and making empathy more difficult. Despite these challenges, Tara McGowan, the founder of Acronym, remains optimistic and believes that building personal connections and empathy are key to strengthening our society. However, her organization faces the challenge of using the same techniques that contribute to a polarized and uncivil environment to improve it. Ultimately, the future of democracy and civic life will depend on how we navigate these complex issues and find ways to bridge divides and build understanding.
Understanding Technology's Impact Through Interviews: Sociologist Sudhir Venkatesh interviews tech creators and managers to explore technology's influence, listeners can suggest podcast name, produced by Stitcher and Dubner Productions, available on any podcast app, complete transcripts at freeeconomics.com
Sociologist Sudhir Venkatesh interviews the creators and managers of technology to gain insights into its impact. Listeners are encouraged to provide feedback, including suggestions for a podcast name, at Radio at Freakonomics.com. Freakonomics Radio is produced by Stitcher and Dubner Productions, with a team including Matt Hickey, Allison Craiglow, Greg Ripin, Zach Lipinski, Daphne Chen, Mary Tduke, Corinne Wallace, Emma Terrell, and James Foster. The podcast is available on any podcast app and offers complete transcripts at freeeconomics.com.
