Stampede Theory: Human Nature, Technology, and Runaway Social Realities explores the biological, evolutionary and technological systems that drive troubling patterns of behavior among groups while also proposing actions to combat harm. The book discusses different ways that living beings coordinate and how the emergence of communication technologies has changed behaviors. As the problem of echo chambers and misinformation grows, it is crucial to understand underlying causes and provide solutions—this book does just that by pulling from multiple fields to produce a coherent story about how social realities are created and how they can create resilient communities or reinforce damaging beliefs.
This interdisciplinary approach rests on three primary pillars: 1) How information systems affect the distribution of ideas, information, influence and belief; 2. Technology-mediated communication between individuals and groups, from stories pressed into clay tablets to “likes on social media; 3) The sociology of behavioral bias in groups ranging from teams to nations. Because of its interdisciplinary foundations, the book includes chapters that address behavioral economics, cults, artificial intelligence, and the individual psychology of belief. This will be a valuable resource for a range of readers, from political and social scientists to decision-makers in government and business, scientists in the fields of machine learning and AI, and more.
1. Chapter One : Introduction - p. Page xii 2. Chapter Two : From the Serengeti to the Ecclesia - p. Page 5 3. Chapter Three : Deep bias - p. Page 13 4. Chapter Four : Humans and information - p. Page 48 5. Chapter Five : Human belief spaces - p. Page 64 6. Chapter Six : Influence + dominance = attention - p. Page 89 7. Chapter Seven : Hierarchies, networks, and technology - p. Page 103 8. Chapter Eight : Interview with a biased machine - p. Page 112 9. Chapter Nine : The spacecraft of Babel - p. Page 119 10. Chapter Ten : Influence networks and the power of money - p. Page 132 11. Chapter Eleven : Cults, hierarchies, and the doomed voyage of the Pequod - p. Page 139 12. Chapter Twelve : Escaping cults, deprogramming, and diversity - p. Page 151 13. Chapter Thirteen : Population-computer interfaces - p. Page 159 14. Chapter Fourteen : Belief geography and cartography - p. Page 179 15. Chapter Fifteen : Belief stampedes - p. Page 216 16. Chapter Sixteen : Future cartographers - p. Page 219 17. Chapter Seventeen : Epilogue - p. Page 222 18. References - p. Page 227 19. Index - p. Page 227
Stampede Theory: Human Nature, Technology, and Runaway Social Realities explores the biological, evolutionary and technological systems that drive troubling patterns of behavior among groups while also proposing actions to combat harm. The book discusses different ways that living beings coordinate and how the emergence of communication technologies has changed behaviors. As the problem of echo chambers and misinformation grows, it is crucial to understand underlying causes and provide solutions—this book does just that by pulling from multiple fields to produce a coherent story about how social realities are created and how they can create resilient communities or reinforce damaging beliefs.
This interdisciplinary approach rests on three primary pillars: 1) How information systems affect the distribution of ideas, information, influence and belief; 2. Technology-mediated communication between individuals and groups, from stories pressed into clay tablets to “likes on social media; 3) The sociology of behavioral bias in groups ranging from teams to nations. Because of its interdisciplinary foundations, the book includes chapters that address behavioral economics, cults, artificial intelligence, and the individual psychology of belief. This will be a valuable resource for a range of readers, from political and social scientists to decision-makers in government and business, scientists in the fields of machine learning and AI, and more.
1. Chapter One : Introduction - p. Page xii 2. Chapter Two : From the Serengeti to the Ecclesia - p. Page 5 3. Chapter Three : Deep bias - p. Page 13 4. Chapter Four : Humans and information - p. Page 48 5. Chapter Five : Human belief spaces - p. Page 64 6. Chapter Six : Influence + dominance = attention - p. Page 89 7. Chapter Seven : Hierarchies, networks, and technology - p. Page 103 8. Chapter Eight : Interview with a biased machine - p. Page 112 9. Chapter Nine : The spacecraft of Babel - p. Page 119 10. Chapter Ten : Influence networks and the power of money - p. Page 132 11. Chapter Eleven : Cults, hierarchies, and the doomed voyage of the Pequod - p. Page 139 12. Chapter Twelve : Escaping cults, deprogramming, and diversity - p. Page 151 13. Chapter Thirteen : Population-computer interfaces - p. Page 159 14. Chapter Fourteen : Belief geography and cartography - p. Page 179 15. Chapter Fifteen : Belief stampedes - p. Page 216 16. Chapter Sixteen : Future cartographers - p. Page 219 17. Chapter Seventeen : Epilogue - p. Page 222 18. References - p. Page 227 19. Index - p. Page 227
