Social media rules the world, engagement optimization rules social media, and it heavily rewards extremism. This trickles down to everything else, from "mainstr

Social media rules the world, engagement optimization rules social media, and it heavily rewards extremism. This trickles down to everything else, from "mainstream media" to the psychological development of children to organization reputation to terrorist group recruitment. This is why the world seems so extreme. The most extreme content bubbles up to the top of our news feed, which gives actors incentive to make extreme content. Here's my extremist view: - Engagement optimization is literally destroying the planet, and should be treated like an armed nuclear weapon. - Facebook, Google, Tiktok, Twitter and such should be treated as if they are criminal. - Engagement optimization and/or targeted advertising should be banned, immediately and harshly, if humanity is to survive.