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Rethinking Manipulation: The Indifference View of Manipulation

Rethinking Manipulation: The Indifference View of Manipulation

Posted on 15 April 2024 by

In the series' Unpacking Manipulation in the Digital Age,' the previous five posts covered the rise of problematic forms of digital influence (Posts 1, 2, and 3), the need to […]

Types of Social Influence and Manipulation Without Intention

Types of Social Influence and Manipulation Without Intention

Posted on 1 April 2024 by

In the previous two posts of this series on online manipulation, I outlined three developments that warrant closer attention to digital influence (here), and argued that a peculiar result is […]

The Rise of Digital Manipulation

The Rise of Digital Manipulation

Posted on 30 March 2024 by

In the previous post of this series on 'Unpacking Manipulation in the Digital Age,' I argued that problematic forms of influence can be unintentional but not accidental and that the […]

The Dark Side of Digital Influence

The Dark Side of Digital Influence

Posted on 18 March 2024 by

In the previous post, I outlined three reasons for paying closer attention to social influence in the digital landscape: the proliferation of social influence, the informational empowerment of social influence, […]

Unpacking Manipulation for the Digital Age

Unpacking Manipulation for the Digital Age

Posted on 18 March 2024 by

Public debate is shaped partly by human social influence, and we routinely distinguish different types of social influence, such as persuasion, coercion, and manipulation. While persuasion and coercion are reasonably […]

Can Machines Manipulate Us?

Can Machines Manipulate Us?

Posted on 22 January 2024 by , ,

YouTube, Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok, and chatbots like ChatGPT and Bard—all of them are manipulating you. More specifically, their algorithms are manipulating you. Or so we now […]

How to Become an Incel

How to Become an Incel

Posted on 16 October 2023 by

Introduction Discussions around incels – involuntary celibates – have become prevalent across popular social media platforms such as X/Twitter. However, it is not always clear who exactly is behind the […]

Corporations: the power of possibility and the possibilities of power

Corporations: the power of possibility and the possibilities of power

Posted on 4 September 2023 by

There is a way of thinking about business corporations which sees them as inherently enemies of social progress.  On this view, inspired by Marxist analyses of class conflict and antagonistic […]

“I hate cyclists!”

“I hate cyclists!”

Posted on 21 August 2023 by

True story: a friend who works for the NHS had to attend mandatory RESPECT training. The workshop convenor started the day with ice breakers, everyone was invited to say what […]

Truth and the Facebookians

Truth and the Facebookians

Posted on 6 February 2023 by

Imagine a community—call them the “Facebookians”—whose politics is deeply polarized. Their political discourse reflects this divisiveness, but to a very unusual extent. For in making political claims, Facebookians are guided […]

Context Needed

Context Needed

Posted on 26 December 2022 by

It may be hard for us to admit, but many of us are two-faced. That is to say, we act differently depending on who we’re with. We might be polite […]

Social media: a viral promoter of social ills?

Social media: a viral promoter of social ills?

Posted on 8 August 2022 by

Public discourse is the currency in which we exchange our attitudes and beliefs. Social media has proven a double-edged sword with respect to this exchange. On the one hand, it […]

The Internet Never Forgets: How Google Shapes and Cements Our Identities

The Internet Never Forgets: How Google Shapes and Cements Our Identities

Posted on 13 June 2022 by

I remember sneaking downstairs to use the computer. I was 11, personal computers weren’t really a thing yet. I couldn't use the computers at school because I was afraid a […]

Sharing bullshit on social media

Sharing bullshit on social media

Posted on 2 May 2022 by

It’s another dull day of commuting to work, and you are waiting for the bus. Bored, you open your phone and start scrolling the all-too-familiar, endless cascade of mildly uninteresting […]

On Anonymity

On Anonymity

Posted on 6 September 2021 by

After the England men's football team lost to Italy on penalties on the 11th of July, the three England players who missed penalties—Marcus Rashford, Bukayo Saka, and Jadon Sancho—were targeted […]

Think Before You Push the “Share” Button

Think Before You Push the “Share” Button

Posted on 8 March 2021 by

You’ve just run across a hilarious satire on a comedic news site and can’t wait to re-post it so your friends can get a chuckle. Or you’ve found an over-the-top […]

Why Twitter is (Epistemically) Better Than Facebook

Why Twitter is (Epistemically) Better Than Facebook

Posted on 11 January 2021 by

Online Environments Social media has the potential to expand our epistemic horizons, connecting us with a wider range of people and more information and analysis than ever before. But it […]

Online illusions of understanding

Online illusions of understanding

Posted on 19 October 2020 by

An online intellectual paradise? The internet and social media provide us with plenty of opportunities to educate ourselves, to learn new things, and to deepen our understanding. A world of […]

Ethicists, hold your horses (Part 1)

Posted on 18 May 2020 by ,

    Fleur Jongepier                         Karin Jongsma If intensive care beds or ventilators run out, who should be saved? And […]

The Right to Know and the Duty to Inform: A Lesson from the Italian Experience with Covid-19

The Right to Know and the Duty to Inform: A Lesson from the Italian Experience with Covid-19

Posted on 23 March 2020 by

Note: When I drafted this post, the situation in Italy and in many countries around the globe was not as tragic as it is today. Some might worry that the […]