Main content

Is the pursuit of 'likes' on social media the reason we鈥檙e glued to our mobile phones?

Facebook鈥檚 'like' button is ubiquitous across the web. It鈥檚 how user data is collected, meaning adverts and newsfeeds can be targeted more effectively. Some say there鈥檚 nothing to worry about, but others point to the Cambridge Analytica scandal, suggesting how Facebook might shape our opinions. But is there something else we should be worried about? Approval from our friends and family can be addictive 鈥 so is the pursuit of 鈥渓ikes鈥 on social media the reason we鈥檙e glued to our mobile phones? Tim Harford asks how should we manage our compulsions in this brave new online world.

Available now

9 minutes

Last on

Mon 17 Jun 2019 03:50GMT

Image credit

The Facebook Thumbs Up sign and logo in Menlo Park, California (Credit:聽Josh Edelson/AFP/Getty Images)

Sources

Adam Alter, Irresistible, Penguin Books, New York 2017

Facebook data: How it was used by Cambridge Analytica

Broadcasts

  • Sat 15 Jun 2019 04:50GMT
  • Sat 15 Jun 2019 13:50GMT
  • Sun 16 Jun 2019 14:50GMT
  • Sun 16 Jun 2019 21:50GMT
  • Sun 16 Jun 2019 22:50GMT
  • Mon 17 Jun 2019 03:50GMT

Podcast