Big Tech's Origin Story

About this episode

The episode explores Facebook's origin story and its impact on children, featuring insights from key figures in Silicon Valley.

You'd be hard-pressed to find a young person who uses Facebook regularly. But to understand why social media has had such a profound, and sometimes devastating, effect on kids, you need to understand Facebook's origin story first. Ava tracks down two of Silicon Valley's most prominent insiders: Roger McNamee and Frances Haugen. Together, they trace Facebook's rise into a global behemoth and reveal how decisions made in boardrooms left millions of children vulnerable to social media's most damaging effects. Ava also speaks with Nir Eyal, author of Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products, who explains how digital platforms are engineered to keep us coming back for more. In Eyal's world, the stickier the technology, the better. But at what cost to the next generation?

People in this episode

Host: Ava

Guests: Roger McNamee, Frances Haugen, Nir Eyal

Topics covered

• social media
• children
• technology
• Silicon Valley
• mental health
• digital platforms

Keywords

• Facebook
• social media
• children's mental health
• Silicon Valley
• Roger McNamee
• Frances Haugen
• Nir Eyal
• digital addiction
• technology impact

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Facebook

Books & works: Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products

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