Ruminations on our relationship with technology
Big Tech and liability based on design (rather than content) Much of the news in the United States hasn’t been too uplifting, to say the least. But good things are still happening. And one of those things has been witnessing how parents, educators, and professionals are putting social media on trial. In lawsuits … Read more
How can addictive social media do so much damage? The year 2026 marks the 250th anniversary of the United States. It also marks the 20th anniversary for social media’s most popular platform, since Facebook went from a college network to a publicly available one—followed by Instagram, TikTok, and others. Little did we know that the … Read more
What does the network effect of social media really scale? A common argument about the value of platforms like Facebook revolves around what’s called the network effect of social media. To start, let’s define what we mean by the network effect. The network effect: The value of a network increases as more and more people … Read more
Common misconceptions about social media and free expression There are many misconceptions about social media and free expression, including the claim that the former somehow entails the latter. In legal contexts, for example, the freedom of expression is what prevents a government from interfering with the right of citizens to express their ideas in public. … Read more
Why scrolling is not relaxing Readers of this site know that, as a user experience advocate, I haven’t held back criticizing social media over the years. Many social media platforms are designed to be little more than a time suck. They’re addictive by design and detrimental to both mental health and social life. However, there’s … Read more
Why are governments banning TikTok? It looks like the U.S. government is set to give an ultimatum to TikTok. Its parent company, ByteDance, must divest itself of (that is, sell off) this social media platform. If it fails to do so, the American version of TikTok will face a nationwide ban on app stores. But … Read more
How can smartphones and social media affect mental health? Since the 2010s, the U.S. and several other countries have seen troubling trends in psychological well-being. For instance, rates of depression, anxiety, self-harm, and suicide have risen significantly, especially among adolescents and young adults. Why are we seeing this overall decline in mental health? Well, one … Read more
Why ask ethical questions about technology design? “Our conventional response to all media, namely that it is how they are used that counts, is the numb stance of the technological idiot.” – Marshall McLuhan (2003, p 31) Throughout his writings, Marshall McLuhan pointed out a cliché that we commonly hear about technology. Typically, it goes … Read more
Why do social media amplify outrage and division? One of the reasons I don’t sign up for most social networking sites is that they seem to bring out the worst in us. Nowadays, there’s never a shortage of angry outbursts on social media. In fact, Nature Human Behavior, a cognitive and behavioral science journal, recently … Read more