The Chaos Machine, Lush, and a Star Wars Meme
An unsustainable, algorithmically toxic replacement for socialization is social media.
I've been reading "The Chaos Machine" by Max Fisher of NYT. Every day, evidence mounts that the revolutionary tech that was social media is becoming a threat to democratic societies, mental health, and humanity.
We are addicted. Like Phillip Morris's studies knew cigarettes cause cancer, Exxon knew fossil fuel use causes global warming, #meta, #google, #twitter know there are billions—if not trillions— of dollars to be made off of radicalizing and dividing society. Good thing the best and brightest minds of this generation turned social media more addictive than cigarettes. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
LinkedIn is rife with discussions on AI. #ChatGPT and the other #openai projects make headlines every day. Keep in mind it was AI that machine-learned and built algorithms that radicalized your antivaxx family member, your aunt who STILL is into Qanon, and...well, the entirety of the alt-right — all so folks in marketing, advertising and tech can make billions off of engagement.
And here I am using social media to vent my frustration. I make my living off of working in these platforms. How am I different from the scientists at Exxon or Phillip Morris? Ironic.
So wtf does this have to do with Lush? Well, a lovely Refinery29, Inc. article compelled me to say something. Lush did what I wish more brands and people did. They withdrew, got into rehab, are working a program, and are on the road to recovery.
When a brand like Lush takes a stand against the steaming pile of horse shit that is social media, and a handful of zoomers and marketers say Lush doesn't exist because it's not on social, I get sad man.
**Is the problem lush? Or is the problem us?**
I like to think there's some net positive you can make by being on social media. But the incentives and rewards for being divisive are so disproportionately stacked against love.
I'd love to be proven wrong. I'd love for someone to say that despite Meta being a named actor in the United Nation's report on the Rohingya Genocide in Myanmar, it's so damn worth it to spread positivity on Facebook. Please, show me that it's worth it.
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