Ed Coper's 'Angertainment' examines how social media algorithms fuel outrage and addiction

Summary

Ed Coper's new book "Angertainment" examines how social media algorithms exploit human emotions—particularly anger and outrage—to keep users engaged and addicted. The article discusses the irony of a book about digital rage being published in a physical format, as traditional media like dictionaries and textbooks are being displaced by AI and internet content. Coper, a political communications expert, argues that algorithms are designed to feed users toxic emotions daily, creating a cycle of distraction and rage that benefits tech platforms. While the article presents Coper's diagnosis of the problem, it notes that his proposed solutions may be overly optimistic for the average social media user.