Human attention is in the highest demand it has ever been. The drastic increase in available information has compelled individuals to find a way to sift through the media that is literally at their fingertips. Content recommendation systems have emerged as the technological solution to this social and informational problem, but they''ve also created a bigger crisis in confirming our biases by showing us only, and exactly, what it predicts we want to see.
In this book, algorithmic recommendations, clickbait, familiarity bias, propaganda,
Trade Review“A very well written book that has an engaging style of writing, doesn’t become dry or bogged down in the details, but still showcases the depth of knowledge that Shaffer has on the subject. … It’s accessible and it provides a satisfying read to those looking for deep analysis of this emerging problem faced by the world.” (The Robotics Law Journal, Vol. 5 (2), September - October, 2019)
Table of ContentsPart I: The Propaganda Problem.-
Chapter 1: Pay Attention: How Information Abundance Affects the Way We Consume Media .-
Chapter 2: Cog in the System: How the Limits of Our Brains Leave Us Vulnerable to Cognitive Hacking.-
Chapter 3: Swimming Upstream: How Content Recommendation Engines Impact Information and Manipulate Our Attention.-
Part II: Case Studies.-
Chapter 4: Domestic Disturbance: Ferguson, GamerGate, and the Rise of the American Alt-Right.-
Chapter 5: Democracy Hacked, Part 1: Russian Interference and the New Cold War .-
Chapter 6: Democracy Hacked, Part 2: Rumors, Bots, and Genocide in the Global South .-
Chapter 7: Conclusion: Where Do We Go from Here?.-
