ACX
Links For July
Scott Alexander presents a diverse collection of interesting links and news items from July, covering topics from science and technology to politics and culture, with brief commentary on each.
19 min read 2,849 words
A thread through the archive
social media
Essays tagged “social media”. Follow an idea across the archive.
Essays on social media
43 essaysACX
Your Book Review: Addiction By Design
A review of 'Addiction By Design' examines how gambling machines are engineered for addiction and draws parallels to other digital technologies.
36 min read 5,435 words
ACX
Theses On The Current Moment
Scott Alexander analyzes the current cultural climate, comparing it to historical norms of ideological conformity and discussing strategies to maintain intellectual freedom.
17 min read 2,484 words
ACX
Journalism and Legible Expertise
Scott explores why journalists struggle to write controversial articles about topics like COVID-19 due to experts' reluctance to be interviewed.
4 min read 552 words
SSC
Prospiracy Theories
Scott Alexander introduces 'prospiracy theories', positive conspiracy-style memes designed to spread true and beneficial information, in response to the rapid spread of conspiracy theories on social media.
1 min read 127 words
SSC
Sort By Controversial
A fictional account of an accidental AI creation that generates extremely controversial statements, leading to societal division and paranoia.
32 min read 4,852 words
SSC
Links 10/18: +1 Insiteful
Scott Alexander shares a diverse collection of interesting links and news items, covering topics from historical anecdotes to recent scientific studies and cultural trends.
15 min read 2,207 words
SSC
Links 2/18: Link Biao Incident
Scott Alexander presents a wide-ranging collection of links covering science, technology, politics, economics, and culture, with brief commentary on each item.
22 min read 3,339 words
SSC
Links 11/17: Sri Linka
A collection of links covering topics from drug regulation and genetic testing to tax reform and AI developments, with Scott's commentary on each item.
19 min read 2,812 words
SSC
Against Interminable Arguments
Scott Alexander examines the problem of endless, unproductive arguments in online communities and proposes ways to mitigate them while maintaining healthy discourse.
13 min read 1,861 words
SSC
The Case Of The Famous Physicist
Scott analyzes a case of apparent psychiatric misdiagnosis, explaining the complexities and challenges faced by psychiatrists in evaluating patients' claims.
18 min read 2,705 words
SSC
The Future Is Filters
Scott examines the potential future of online content filtering technology, considering its benefits, drawbacks, and societal implications.
12 min read 1,721 words
SSC
The Toxoplasma Of Rage
Scott Alexander explores how controversial ideas spread more effectively than uncontroversial ones, using examples from activism and media to illustrate this 'toxoplasma of rage' effect.
43 min read 6,597 words
SSC
My New OKCupid Profile
Scott Alexander shares his new OKCupid profile, which consists solely of a link to his blog, creating a meta-joke about online dating and self-promotion.
1 min read 27 words
SSC
Lies, Damned Lies, And Social Media (Part 5 of ∞)
Scott debunks viral misinformation about false rape accusation rates and provides more accurate estimates, while criticizing the spread of such inaccuracies in feminist circles.
27 min read 4,033 words
SSC
Product Recommendation: FB Purity
Scott recommends the FB Purity browser add-on to filter unwanted content on Facebook, but notes that Facebook is trying to ban it.
2 min read 249 words
SSC
Lies, Damned Lies, And Facebook (Part 1 of ∞)
Scott Alexander debunks a viral image about minimum wage and apartment affordability, showing how its methodology is flawed and recalculating more realistic figures.
9 min read 1,311 words
SSC
Lies, Damned Lies, And Facebook (Part 2 of ∞)
Scott Alexander debunks a misleading Facebook meme about Google autocomplete suggestions for disabled people, showing that Google's suggestions are universally negative for almost all groups.
8 min read 1,124 words