Ep. 49: Internet Exaggeration

Positive Feedback Loop

We start with our first memories of the Internet. Then we discuss fake news and echo chambers. Can we find good sources and can we trust the press? What is a good incentive structure for journalism? Is journalism (or can it be) unbiased? Infographics and data without context. Listening and understanding vs. winning arguments. Outrage: our biological flaw. Is sensationalism fake news? The breakdown of trust. [Commercial: Commercial Tracker 300.] Virality based on outrage: Ken Bone and Hugh Mungus. Getting the public’s attention: Kony 2012. Finding information online. We end this episode with a discussion of being ethical about what we put online.