These tech execs have regrets about the world-changing sites they helped create

crowd

An increasing number of tech executives are speaking up about the harm that social media sites can do to civil society.
The social psychology research on social media's effects on users is new and limited, but some studies suggest that the sites can lead to behavioral addictions.
Execs including Snap CEO Evan Spiegel say that social media can also easily sway elections, contribute to depression, and impede civil discourse.

If you're on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snap, or Reddit, you've likely noticed that those notifications, likes, and upvotes can be quite addicting.

This is on purpose. Social media companies want people to keep coming back to their sites, so developers will often design apps in ways that encourage engagement. Some social psychology research (albeit early and new) suggests that excessive social media use can lead to behavioral addictions, meaning users spend hours tethered to their screens.

And even those behind these apps admit that social media can be bad for people. Earlier this month, former Facebook executive Chamath Palihapitiya said that the site does not promote civil discourse and is "ripping apart the social fabric of how society works."

He also argued that consequences can go past individual addiction to larger issues, like partisan echo chambers and fake news.

Palihapitiya is not the only one who has recently spoken up about the harm that social media can do. The following tech execs also have regrets about the tools they helped create.

Drone maker Chris Anderson worries about social media addiction and bullying

Chris Anderson, CEO of the drone maker 3D Robotics, sets limits on social media use (and screen time in general) for his five children.

In a 2014 interview with The New York Times, he said he worries about bullying from other kids and tech addiction.

"My kids accuse me and my wife of being fascists and overly concerned about tech, and they say that none of their friends have the same rules," he told The Times. "That's because we have seen the dangers of technology firsthand. I've seen it in myself, I don't want to see that happen to my kids."

Former Facebook president Sean Parker has said the network 'changes your relationship with society'

In November, Sean Parker, who cofounded Napster before becoming Facebook's president, told Axios that the social network has had unintended consequences on how society functions.

"I don't know if I really understood the consequences of what I was saying, because [of] the unintended consequences of a network when it grows to a billion or 2 billion people and ... It literally changes your relationship with society, with each other ... It probably interferes with productivity in weird ways," Parker said. "God only knows what it's doing to our children's brains."

Snap CEO Evan Spiegel says social media has encouraged fake news to spread

Snap CEO Evan Spiegel recently admitted that he believes social media has fueled the rise of fake news.

"The personalized newsfeed revolutionized the way people share and consume content. But let's be honest: this came at a huge cost to facts, our minds and the entire media industry," he wrote in an op-ed for Axios.

"Social media fueled 'fake news' because content designed to be shared by friends is not necessarily content designed to deliver accurate information," Spiegel continued. "After all, how many times have you shared something you've never bothered to read?"

See the rest of the story at Business Insider