“Reward hacking”: When chatbots turn into sycophants

Why do some chatbots turn into sycophants? One of the most valuable contributions from the media ecology tradition is that technologies are extensions of human capabilities, such as our sense perceptions or thought processes. For example, screens and speakers extend our capacity to see and hear. Algorithms and artificial intelligence (AI) extend our ability to … Read more

On delete Facebook: Questioning the value of social media

A cost-benefit analysis: To delete or not delete Facebook? I joined Facebook in 2009. By 2018, I deleted my account. After a decade observing how it affected our culture, I realized the costs outweighed any benefits.  Taking advantage of the “Delete Facebook” movement, I seized the hashtag #deletefacebook and freed myself from the matrix. Some … Read more