But truth and fact are not the priority for social media platforms—because truth and fact are often not as interesting as fantastic fiction.
Social media has exposed the fragility of truth. Often the spread of misinformation on these platforms is discussed in the context of politics and a threat to our democracy. But the more time I spend on the apps as both a creator and consumer of content, the more the threat of misinformation feels personal—it threatens the way, consciously and subconsciously, I perceive myself. And the internal study Haugen exposed showed that I am not alone. But truth and fact are not the priority for social media platforms—because truth and fact are often not as interesting as fantastic fiction. It doesn’t make financial sense for the algorithms to promote what is most true; it makes sense for them to promote what is most entertaining. This would be entirely fine if the consumers of this entertainment didn’t so often use the platforms as viable sources of factual information.