Collection
prosocial media
Updated 1mo
Collection
Updated 1mo
The case against efficiency: friction in social media
Social media platforms frequently prioritize efficiency to maximize ad revenue and user engagement, often sacrificing deliberation, trust, and reflective, purposeful cognitive engagement in the process. This manuscript examines the potential of friction—design choices that intentionally slow user interactions—as an alternate approach. We present a case against efficiency as the dominant paradigm on social media and advocate for a complex systems approach to understanding and analyzing friction. Drawing from interdisciplinary literature, real-world examples, and industry experiments, we highlight the potential for friction to mitigate issues like polarization, disinformation, and toxic content without resorting to censorship. We propose a state space representation of friction to establish a multidimensional framework and language for analyzing the diverse forms and functions through which friction can be implemented. Additionally, we propose several experimental designs to examine the impact of friction on system dynamics, user behavior, and information ecosystems, each designed with complex systems solutions and perspectives in mind. Our case against efficiency underscores the critical role of friction in shaping digital spaces, challenging the relentless pursuit of efficiency and exploring the potential of thoughtful slowing.
Eurosky is collaborating with SPRIND to test a non-toxic algorithm for the first time - Eurosky
Eurosky is a European initiative to build and operate sovereign social web infrastructure
GreenEarth Social | Jonathan Stray | Substack
Open-source AI-driven Social Media Feeds for Everyone. Click to read GreenEarth Social, by Jonathan Stray, a Substack publication. Launched 7 months ago.
Bloom
A calmer social network with no ads, no tracking, and a chronological feed.
