106. Blue Dot Effect & Negative Journalism; 'Insh*tification'; Why Everything Seems So Bad

Game Theory

In this episode, Nick and Chris various topics including the Atlanta Hawks' coin flip games, the Match Group lawsuit, Wendy's surge pricing, and the blue dot effect.

The blue dot effect refers to the phenomenon where people change their concept of something based on its prevalence.

This has implications for decision-making and perception. The hosts also explore the influence of media and news on people's biases and perceptions.

This conversation explores the power of negative news and the human tendency to impose meaning on ambiguous stimuli. It delves into the impact of social media algorithms and the dark side of platforms like TikTok.

The conversation also discusses the incentives of activism and the perceived worsening of the world.

Finally, it examines the inshitification of online platforms and offers solutions such as personal acknowledgment and empathy.

Links:

Nishith Goyal - Medium: https://medium.com/illumination/understanding-the-blue-dot-effect-the-hidden-bias-impacting-our-choice-441d6901a372

Negative News Headlines: https://www.vox.com/the-highlight/23596969/bad-news-negativity-bias-media

Blue Dot Effect Article:https://www.livescience.com/62962-blue-or-purple-dots-illusion.html

WSJ Video Investigation:

https://www.wsj.com/video/series/inside-tiktoks-highly-secretive-algorithm/investigation-how-tiktok-algorithm-figures-out-your-deepest-desires/6C0C2040-FF25-4827-8528-2BD6612E3796?adobe_mc=TS%3D1709163442%7CMCMID%3D56653084828899941945114323709949221977%7CMCORGID%3DCB68E4BA55144CAA0A4C98A5%40AdobeOrg&wsj_native_webview=android&ace_environment=androidphone%2Cwebview&ace_config=%7B%22wsj%22%3A%7B%22djcmp%22%3A%7B%22propertyHref%22%3A%22https%3A%2F%2Fwsj.android.app%22%7D%7D%7D

Takeaways

• Negative news tends to garner more attention and provoke stronger physiological responses than positive or neutral news.
• Humans have a natural tendency to impose meaning on ambiguous stimuli, such as seeing faces in inanimate objects.
• Social media algorithms can reinforce negative perceptions and lead to unhealthy consumption habits, especially among vulnerable populations like teenagers.
• Activism can be driven by a desire to perpetuate one's own status and prestige, leading to a constant search for problems to solve.
• Online platforms often deteriorate in quality over time as they prioritize their own interests over those of their users.
• Individuals can combat bias and improve their approach by acknowledging their own tendencies and programming 'ducks' into their work.
• Empathy and patience can help navigate situations where others may be prone to pareidolia and blue dotting.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Updates

03:00 The Atlanta Hawks' Coin Flip Games

05:57 Match Group Lawsuit

08:58 Wendy's Surge Pricing

10:04 The Blue Dot Effect

21:05 Implications of the Blue Dot Effect

23:01 The Influence of Media and News

23:23 The Power of Negative News

25:17 Pareidolia and the Imposition of Meaning

29:46 The Perceived Worsening of the World

31:33 The Incentives of Activism

36:23 The Impact of Social Media and Algorithms

41:27 The Physiological Response to Negative News

43:53 The Dark Side of TikTok

48:40 The Inshitification of Online Platforms

50:30 Personal Acknowledgment and Empathy