“The people at Facebook and Google believe that giving consumers more of what they want and like is worthy of praise, not criticism. What they fail to recognize is that their products are not making consumers happier or more successful. Like gambling, nicotine, alcohol or heroin, Facebook and Google \u2014\u00a0most importantly through its YouTube subsidiary \u2014\u00a0produce short-term happiness with serious negative consequences in the long term. Users fail to recognize the warning signs of addiction until it is too late. There are only 24 hours in a day, and technology companies are making a play for all them. The CEO of Netflix recently noted that his company\u2019s primary competitor is sleep.How does this work? A 2013 study found that\u00a0average consumers\u00a0check their\u00a0smartphones 150 times a\u00a0day. And that number has probably grown. People\u00a0spend 50\u00a0minutes a\u00a0day on Facebook. Other social apps such as\u00a0Snapchat, Instagram and Twitter combine to take up still more time.\u00a0Those companies maintain a profile on every user, which grows every time you like, share, search, shop or post a photo. Google also is analyzing credit card records\u00a0of\u00a0millions of people.<\/p>\n
As a result, the big Internet companies know more about you than you know about yourself, which gives them huge power to influence you, to persuade you to do things that serve their economic interests. Facebook, Google and others compete for each consumer\u2019s attention, reinforcing biases and reducing the diversity of ideas to which each is exposed. The degree of harm grows over time.”<\/p>\n
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