3 chapters across the catalog
The hosts debate the functionality of social media feeds, comparing Twitter's chronological order to Facebook's algorithmic sorting. There is a discussion on "shadow banning" and how platforms may be filtering political content, such as the feeds of Representative Devin Nunes. One host argues that Facebook is losing users due to poor interface changes, while the other maintains that the platform remains dominant despite personal grievances.
The hosts debate whether Twitter's "Home" feed is actively manipulated to show content from unfollowed accounts. One host argues that the platform forces engagement through favorites and retweets, while the other maintains that personal experience does not reflect this systemic negativity.
Facebook Emotional Contagion Study, Psychological Manipulation, and EULAs
A 2014 study published in the PNAS regarding "emotional contagion" on Facebook is revisited, detailing how the platform manipulated news feeds to influence user moods. The experiment found that users exposed to more positive posts tended to post positive content, while negative feeds induced negative posts, though extreme positivity could backfire. The hosts note that Facebook's End User License Agreement (EULA) grants the company legal permission to conduct such psychological research without explicit real-time consent.
