Reporting can be a scary job. I’ve had nervous moments with warlords, gangsters and neo-Nazis. I have been shot at and threatened. But if Tristan Harris is right about what he’s telling me, then the presentation playing now on his phone is the most frightening thing I’ve seen in my life.
It’s a road map for the erosion of civilisation as we know it.
Harris (35) is a former Google insider who’s been called “the closest thing Silicon Valley has to a conscience”. He believes we’re in the midst of an “invisible climate change of culture” caused by technology companies that view the world’s 2,7 billion smartphone users as a resource whose attention they can mine for profit. The resulting competition has a very unfortunate side-effect: “attention capitalism” is making us nastier, stupider and much less likely to find common ground with our fellow humans.
We can try to resist, but it’s not a fair fight. Whenever you open Facebook, Instagram or YouTube, you switch on what Harris calls “a voodoo doll-like version of you in a supercomputer”. This consists of nearly everything you’ve ever clicked on, liked or watched. That’s how the companies keep you ensnared: they know you better than you know yourself.
Harris’ conclusions are controversial but his influence is unmistakable. He’s briefed world leaders and is a confidant of some of the most powerful figures in the technology industry. He’s testified to the US congress. His two Ted Talks have been viewed more than four million times.
More is at stake here than just children spending too much time staring at screens, companies selling our data or Russian hackers interfering in elections, Harris argues. Those seemingly separate problems are real but they’re also diversions from tackling the bigger picture.
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
HOW TO BE YOUR OWN THERAPIST
With more and more of us struggling with our mental health, here's a common-sense guide to coping with life's ups and downs
SPUD: THE MAGIC CONTINUES
John van de Ruit tells us why he decided to write a sequel - and shares how his first book helped him find enduring love
SEX CONTRACT GONE WRONG
A Cape Town couple have been charged with using a young woman as a sex slave-but some say she lost the job she signed up for and now has a grudge against them
LIAM LAID TO REST
More than a month after One Direction singer LIAM PAYNE (31) tragically fell to his death from a balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina, his loved ones finally got to say their goodbyes.
SHILOH HANGS OUT
THE two young women look like any pair of good friends chatting and laughing as they leave their dance class in Los Angeles.
LEO IN LOVE
He's just turned 50 and it seems Leonardo DiCaprio may finally be ready to settle down
PACKING A PUNCH
Irish actor Paul Mescal beefed up for his role in the blockbuster epic Gladiator II - and fans are loving it
I DIDN'T CHOOSE TO BE A LOVE CHILD
As the illegitimate daughter of the king, she fought to be recognised as part of Belgium's royal family, but Princess Delphine says she still feels unwelcome
'I STILL HAVE NIGHTMARES'
A bite from a spitting cobra 13 years ago nearly killed her but Mikayla survived - and she's made peace with her scars
THE CLAWS ARE OUT!
Things have grown frosty between the Beckhams and the Sussexes as Becks comes out in clear support of William
