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The Chaos Machine: The Inside Story of How Social Media Rewired Our Minds and Our World Hardcover – September 6, 2022

by Max Fisher (Author)

4.4 848 ratings

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Finalist for the Helen Bernstein Book Award for Excellence in Journalism

From a New York Times investigative reporter, this “authoritative and devastating account of the impacts of social media” (New York Times Book Review) tracks the high-stakes inside story of how Big Tech’s breakneck race to drive engagement—and profits—at all costs fractured the world. The Chaos Machine is “an essential book for our times” (Ezra Klein).

We all have a vague sense that social media is bad for our minds, for our children, and for our democracies. But the truth is that its reach and impact run far deeper than we have understood. Building on years of international reporting, Max Fisher tells the gripping and galling inside story of how Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and other social network preyed on psychological frailties to create the algorithms that drive everyday users to extreme opinions and, increasingly, extreme actions. As Fisher demonstrates, the companies’ founding tenets, combined with a blinkered focus on maximizing engagement, have led to a destabilized world for everyone.

Traversing the planet, Fisher tracks the ubiquity of hate speech and its spillover into violence, ills that first festered in far-off locales, to their dark culmination in America during the pandemic, the 2020 election, and the Capitol Insurrection. Through it all, the social-media giants refused to intervene in any meaningful way, claiming to champion free speech when in fact what they most prized were limitless profits. The result, as Fisher shows, is a cultural shift toward a world in which people are polarized not by beliefs based on facts, but by misinformation, outrage, and fear.

His narrative is about more than the villains, however. Fisher also weaves together the stories of the heroic outsiders and Silicon Valley defectors who raised the alarm and revealed what was happening behind the closed doors of Big Tech. Both panoramic and intimate, The Chaos Machine is the definitive account of the meteoric rise and troubled legacy of the tech titans, as well as a rousing and hopeful call to arrest the havoc wreaked on our minds and our world before it’s too late.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“The Chaos Machine is an authoritative and devastating account of the impacts of social media . . . The way the book connects the dots is utterly convincing and should obliterate any doubts about the significance of algorithmic intervention in human affairs.”―New York Times Book Review

“A stark warning about the extent to which Facebook et al distort our perception of reality.”―The Guardian

“The single most complete understanding of how social media has rewired our brains, our culture, and our politics that I have ever read. It’s outstanding.”―Jon Favreau, Offline

“A sobering investigation into the effects of platforms including Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. Tracking political movements that spread over social media, both in America and worldwide, Fisher describes how algorithms . . . systematically promote extreme content that sparks moral outrage and forges group identities united by a sense of threat.”―The New Yorker

“Fisher has drawn together a chilling record of the cultural and commercial imperatives behind violent events, and how the perversity of machines and of people, working in tandem, have upended life around the globe.”―Air Mail

“Well argued, engaging, and often necessarily discomforting… The Chaos Machine’s greatest achievement is perhaps how skillfully it traces seemingly disparate phenomena back to the design of social media platforms that prioritize engagement at all costs… At a time when calls for the regulation of platforms is growing ever louder, Fisher makes an urgent, compelling case for change.”―Mary McGill, Irish Independent

“Social media isn’t just changing our lives. It’s changing the world, and even its creators and would-be overseers have only the foggiest ideas about how. In this meticulously reported, grippingly told account, Max Fisher chases the results across continents, and paints a disturbing picture of not just where we are, but where we’re going. The Chaos Machine is an essential book for our times.”―Ezra Klein, author of the New York Times bestseller Why We’re Polarized

“Well-researched and thoroughly unnerving… Fisher’s lucid, clear explanations and convincing arguments are bound to leave readers questioning their own use of social media.”―Booklist (starred review)

“A scathing account of the manifold ills wrought by social media… There’s no shortage of books lamenting the evils of social media, but what’s impressive here is how Fisher brings it all together: the breadth of information, covering everything from the intricacies of engagement-boosting algorithms to theories of sentimentalism, makes this a one-stop shop. It’s a well-researched, damning picture of just what happens online.”―Publishers Weekly

“An often riveting, disturbing examination of the social media labyrinth and the companies that created it… Fisher dives into the chaotic social media landscape, synthesizing dozens of interviews from a wide range of sources… he examines the rise of the social media giants and the dangers they have created for our society… Fisher is spot-on when he describes how the promotion and manufacture of moral outrage were not glitches in the system but inherent features.”―Kirkus Reviews

“In this timely book, Max Fisher reveals how powerful social-media giants set all of humanity on an alternative course to the future. The Chaos Machine boldly exposes how a few technology companies chose profit over people, helped spread salacious misinformation, and ultimately ripped the fabric of society apart. I hope everyone will read this important investigation with an open mind, because we must choose a different path forward, and fast.”―Amy Webb, author of The Big Nine: How the Tech Titans and Their Thinking Machines Could Warp Humanity

“Max Fisher blends together deep reporting, riveting stories, and a global canvas in this gripping and definitive work on the damage wrought by social media. The Chaos Machine is essential reading if you want to understand a force that is reshaping the world and the very real consequences it is having on people everywhere.”―Ben Rhodes, author of the New York Times bestseller The World as It Is: A Memoir of the Obama White House

About the Author

Max Fisher is an international reporter for the New York Times, where he authors a column called “The Interpreter,” which explains global trends and major world events, and where he contributed to a series about social media that was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in 2019. Fisher previously covered international affairs at The Atlantic and the Washington Post. He lives in Los Angeles.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Little, Brown and Company (September 6, 2022)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 400 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 031670332X
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0316703321
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.29 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.35 x 1.5 x 9.5 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #112,970 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #40 in Social Media Guides
- #113 in Social Aspects of Technology
- #361 in Popular Social Psychology & Interactions

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4.4 848 ratings

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Customers find the book provides good information and an insightful analysis of social media. They praise the well-written, organized writing style and excellent historical background provided in the early chapters. However, some readers feel the book devolves into a leftist, partisan view that becomes anti-conservative halfway through.

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Enlightened read Writing style History Bias

27 customers mention "Enlightened read"27 positive0 negative

Customers find the book insightful and informative. They describe it as a thorough, well-written guide that provides an in-depth analysis of social media's connection to social unrest. The book helps readers make sense of how and why things spiraled out of control in the last few years.

"...Equally important as the sourcing and detailed reporting, the author's writing style is quite approachable...." Read more

"Wow very informative book. This book is not for the faint of heart...." Read more

"A thorough and frightening history of the power of Facebook, YouTube and other such sites to skew people‘s thinking and to create violence...." Read more

"Great read for someone who is interested in organizational behavior on a global scale." Read more

9 customers mention "Writing style"9 positive0 negative

Customers find the book well-written and organized. They appreciate the well-researched and comprehensive look at social media as a profit-driven evil genius.

"...as the sourcing and detailed reporting, the author's writing style is quite approachable...." Read more

"I enjoyed this book because it was well written, engaging, and informative...." Read more

"...has happened is explained in this revealing, well researched and well written book...." Read more

"This is a very thorough and well written book about the overwhelming affect that social media has had on the world...." Read more

3 customers mention "History"3 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's history. They mention it provides excellent historical background in the early chapters, starting with the history of the internet and moving into social media.

"This is a great read. It starts with the history of the internet and moves into the social media brainwashing that is occurring and affecting our..." Read more

"There is some genuinely good info in the book. Some excellent historical research on the early days of social media but my God, Fisher cannot help..." Read more

"Author provides some really excellent historical background in the early chapters, but the book devolved into a highly partisan, one-sided view of..." Read more

11 customers mention "Bias"0 positive11 negative

Customers dislike the book's political bias. They say it devolves into a highly partisan, one-sided view of social media manipulation and becomes an anti-conservative rant.

"...Many things in the book are interesting but his bias is so strong it makes it unreadable...." Read more

"...About half way through it became a anti conservative rant. Completely ignoring things done by the left...." Read more

"...The author just has a huge hate boner for republicans...." Read more

"...historical background in the early chapters, but the book devolved into a highly partisan, one-sided view of social media manipulation...." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

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Igo Hummaan
A Detailed Accounting of Willful Negligence
Reviewed in the United States on October 1, 2022
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This isn't the first book written about the negative effects of social media on individuals and society, but it's one of the most important. For a start the author's sources are as unimpeachable as you're likely to find. They include the likes of former Silicon Valley venture capitalists, Google and Facebook engineers, and people who held leadership positions for these and other companies. The things you learn come directly from the people who enabled and created the very algorithms which are at the root of the problems we face (rampant promoting of misinformation and divisive content, encouraging anger and outrage, etc.)

You learn not just what the algorithms do but why they were set up that way. That in the end, Facebook, Google, Twitter and others make their money by blindly assuming that algorithms which train users to spend more and more time on their platforms, is not only good for their bottom line, but good for users. This despite strong evidence that — by design — their systems tap into human addiction mechanisms and psychology, in ways that make us more and more unhappy, the further down the rabbit hole we go. Perhaps most astonishing is the fact that the algorithms have become so automated, that if you ask Facebook and Google today how it works, they will flat out tell you that they don't know. While this may give them some feeling of plausible deniability it does nothing to diminish their responsibility for the harmful impacts of their technology.

Equally important as the sourcing and detailed reporting, the author's writing style is quite approachable. So even if you're not technically inclined, you won't get left behind. He does not rely on a lot of technical jargon or concepts to get his points across, which is important when targeting a broad audience.

Highly recommended.

(And hoping this book ends up in many collegiate classrooms where it can help inform tomorrow's engineers and CEOs.)

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Blessed
Wow...I didn't know
Reviewed in the United States on December 20, 2024
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Wow very informative book. This book is not for the faint of heart. But if you want to know the dark side of the internet I believe this is the book you want to read.

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One person found this helpful

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Sandy
Amazing Read
Reviewed in the United States on January 1, 2025
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A thorough and frightening history of the power of Facebook, YouTube and other such sites to skew people‘s thinking and to create violence. And to learn how these websites refused to rein themselves in when they heard and saw what damage their algorithms were causing.

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Andy C McNiece
Intentional Divisiveness in Social Media Makes Money
Reviewed in the United States on January 3, 2024
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Among the petty annoyances I hear about social media lies a far more serious issue. The realization by the social media creators that the way to get more clicks and more screen time from the user is to drive the user into emotionally charged discussions. The best emotionally charged discussions are really about hate and divisiveness. The examples of Gamergate, Charlottesville, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and the Trump voters demonstrate the unwillingness of the social media companies to police dangerous and misleading posts since these are the posts that generate the most revenue. Frankly, this is a bit terrifying.

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8 people found this helpful

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Roadie Rick
Dated, but timeless concepts
Reviewed in the United States on December 31, 2024
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Great read for someone who is interested in organizational behavior on a global scale.

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Jayne Err
An Important Study of Social Media's Impact on the Way WeThink
Reviewed in the United States on November 2, 2024
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An exhaustively researched and utterly fascinating, riveting read. It's packed with all kinds of horrific real-world examples of tech gone wrong, whether the carrot at the end of the stick is seemingly unlimited greed, power, political sway , or the spread of misinformation. Particularly interesting is near the end of the book which explains how Facebook, You Tube, Twitter and Google all profited from letting Trump and his cronies run rampant with conspiracy theories and other MAGA- oriented lies before he got elected. There are so many thought-provoking stories here about how our society became so divided it's an essential read.

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Nelda
Informative and Eye-opening
Reviewed in the United States on February 25, 2024
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I enjoyed this book because it was well written, engaging, and informative. I will never get on the internet again, look at a news site or a You Tube video without remembering that whatever I choose can lead down a never-ending rabbit hole because of built-in algorithms. I know that I can just look at one garden composter on the internet, and I'm pulled into ads and info on composters for days afterwards. If I ignore them, they go away...at last. This book explains how and why that happens and tells important stories of the violence that has even occurred in many places as a result of some of the falsehoods people have followed online when they too have found themselves unwittingly down dark rabbit holes.

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Robert D Martin
Used by the media an expose'
Reviewed in the United States on December 12, 2024
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Profound and incisive review of the new media world. Afterwards, you feel like the pawn media wants you to be. You're profit.

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Top reviews from other countries

ARS
A MUST READ!
Reviewed in Canada on February 11, 2025
Verified Purchase

I didn't think this book was going to tell me anything I didn't know. Yeah, yeah, social media is the latest societal evil and we're all in echo chambers.
But I couldn't put this book down. A fascinating account of how social media came to be what it is today, and the different ways it's shaping and changing both who we are and society at large. Disheartening but starkly true, this information is vital to all human beings.
What I took away from it is that SkyNet is already here. Time to pay attention.

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Kindle Customer
Great Book
Reviewed in Germany on January 4, 2025
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Great Book

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Mrs Armtrough
Excellent
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 23, 2024
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Sharply written, meticulously researched and unequivocal in its conclusions - this book explains how and why social media algorithms are the driving force in most aspects of our social and political lives today, whether we know it or not. Read it for a clear though chilling understanding of how these dynamics are playing out and the power that increasingly gives the owners of the major platforms.

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Oscar Perez
Must read
Reviewed in Spain on November 27, 2024
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A deep analysis of what is wrong with social media, and its consequences around the world. The hate and polarization in many countries today, explained.

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Swaminathan
must read - global over view of social media influence documentary
Reviewed in India on January 19, 2023
Verified Purchase
Deep study of how social media mind influencing and wiring happens to human conscience, influencing actions and other outcomes triggering uncertainty to world order, orchestrating chaos and demonic use of algo explained with real life incidences, anecdotes and necessary churning points of history. This books offers comprehensive view of the subject and reduces the necessity of read any other book on similar /same object thereby making worthy time investment to study, perceive and analyse.

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5.0 out of 5 stars A MUST READ!

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent

5.0 out of 5 stars Must read

4.0 out of 5 stars must read - global over view of social media influence documentary

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must read - global over view of social media influence documentary