“We now face the danger, which in the past has been the most destructive to the humans: Success, plenty, comfort, and ever-increasing leisure. No dynamic people has ever survived these dangers” – John Steinbeck
Social networks and other internet communication has complex and distorted incentives. To use a term from political philosophy, consumer internet creates our modern “social fabric”.1 The patterns of the fabric are based on market forces that serve human nature, but not always human needs. Content creators know that triggering a fear response, like outrage, is a very effective engagement strategy.2 Polarization creates toxicity and is already weaponized.
AI will amplify everything. For better or worse, to express something to AI may allow us to see it in the world.3
Social health is the measurement of social fabric over time. Social health is not only the connection between individuals, but also can be broadly observed in the effectiveness and trustworthiness of our institutions. Also, it is the commitment to ourselves and our identities when interacting with social constructs.
Social health is my answer to the name of this website – “What is Progress?”
On the side, I’ve playing with ideas for HAI.AI for about 10 years, and ideas around AI to resolve conflict for 20 years. In the abstract, the function of HAI.AI is to generate and maintain “good” interpersonal commitments. 4
Like many dedicating their careers to change, I’ve worked at startups in education technology, mental health care, and environmental air quality data. We built new technologies and experiences from scratch. We validated the efficacy. The primary challenge was the effectiveness of the institutions we connect with and rely on. How do you sell to an institution that can’t function sufficiently? Institutions with good people that do a good work; but inside and out, no one is as happy or as effective as they could be. We understandably want to keep our jobs and our identity, but change is constant.
I am biased, perhaps beyond repair, but like many founders I’ve come to believe we need new institutions for large, critical human services. The bigger the institution the bigger the disruption needed. AI will bring that disruption, but AI will also produce an arms race. To be generous, we are just starting to understand what new challenges will come. Meanwhile, we must build what we will be fighting for.
Sign up on the waitlist at https://hai.ai or reach out if you want to help.
– Jonathan
- The term “social fabric” is often used in discussions of social and political philosophy to describe the interconnectedness and interdependence of individuals within a society. Several prominent political philosophers and theorists have referenced or discussed concepts akin to the “social fabric.”
Some of these include:
Jean-Jacques Rousseau: In his works like “The Social Contract,” Rousseau discusses the collective social arrangement as a contract between individuals and the community, highlighting the interdependence of members in a society.
John Locke: Locke, in his theories about social contract and civil society, implicitly refers to the idea of social fabric through his emphasis on the importance of social relations and community for the protection of individual rights.
Karl Marx: Marx’s critique of capitalist society and his vision of communism inherently address the nature of social relationships and the fabric of society, particularly in terms of class relations and community solidarity.
Emile Durkheim: Although primarily a sociologist, Durkheim’s theories about social cohesion and the collective conscience are deeply relevant to the concept of social fabric. He examined how societies maintain internal stability through shared beliefs and values.
Charles Taylor: A contemporary philosopher, Taylor has written extensively on the themes of identity and the social framework, exploring how individuals are shaped by and contribute to the communal context.
Michael Sandel: Known for his work on political philosophy and ethics, Sandel discusses the role of community and moral values in shaping the social fabric, particularly in his critiques of liberalism and discussions of communitarianism.
These thinkers, among others, have contributed significantly to the understanding of how individuals and communities interact and depend on each other, forming the ‘social fabric’ of society. ↩︎ - Online Brain and Cognitive Impact: Research has shown that the online environment can influence cognitive processes such as attention and memory. This suggests a broader context in which social media might exploit basic cognitive functions to enhance user engagement.
Social Media and Procrastination: Studies have explored how social media can trigger procrastination, which often involves delaying tasks due to emotional responses like fear or anxiety. This indicates a link between social media use and the manipulation of emotional responses.
Influence of Social Media on Mental Health: There is growing concern that social media can lead to mental health issues like social anxiety, which is often tied to feelings of insecurity and fear of social interactions. This relationship underscores the potential of social media platforms to harness negative emotions for user engagement.
Social Media Influencers and Teen Behavior: The impact of social media influencers on teenagers highlights how certain online content can influence behavior and attitudes, possibly exploiting primitive responses such as desire for acceptance or fear of exclusion.
Social Media and Loneliness: Research has suggested that social media use can be associated with loneliness and the fear of missing out, indicating that these platforms might tap into feelings of insecurity and social anxiety to keep users engaged.
In summary, while direct studies specifically linking social media’s use of primitive responses to user retention are scarce, related research suggests that social media platforms may indeed exploit basic emotional and cognitive responses to enhance user engagement and retention.
For more see The Journal of Computer Mediated Communication or ↩︎ - See the book Rainbows End
Thanks to advances in medical technology, Robert Gu is slowly recovering from Alzheimer’s disease. As his faculties return, Robert (who has always been technophobic) must adapt to a different world, where almost every object is networked and mediated-reality technology is commonplace.
And the book Accelerando
The book is a collection of nine short stories telling the tale of three generations of a family before, during, and after a technological singularity. ↩︎ - Some initial features center at HAI.AI on email. Email is one channel where commitments can happen, but Human Assisted Intelligence does not exist to make email better. ↩︎
What is Progress? 