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Truth vs. The Algorithm: How Social Media Fuels Hate, Lies, and Violence
Every day we open our phones and scroll. We see memes, breaking news, conspiracy theories, arguments, hate speech, and the occasional cat video. It feels random, chaotic — but it’s not. It’s engineered.
Truth vs. The Algorithm exposes the truth consistently loses in the feeds we consume because the system is designed that way. Social media platforms figured out that lies spread faster, anger lasts longer, and division drives profits. The result isn’t just toxic discourse — it’s real-world violence.
Simon Edge traces the path from seemingly harmless posts to catastrophic consequences. He examines case studies where digital propaganda fueled the Christchurch mosque shooting livestreamed on Facebook, the Buffalo massacre broadcast on Twitch, the ethnic cleansing of the Rohingya in Myanmar fanned by Facebook hate speech. He dissects how QAnon turned millions into believers of a dangerous fantasy, how January 6 was organized in plain sight, and how Big Tech executives responded with denial and excuses.
This book isn’t another partisan rant or conspiracy of its own. It’s fact-heavy, carefully documented, and unafraid to point the finger where it at algorithms designed to maximize engagement at any cost. Outrage is the fuel. Lies are the accelerant. We are the product.
At the same time, Edge writes with wit and clarity, making even the darkest truths bearable. He knows laughter can be a lifeline when the facts feel overwhelming.
If you’ve ever
Why does false information spread so much faster than truth?
How do online conspiracy theories leap into real-world violence?
Why don’t the platforms stop it — and why won’t they?
What can ordinary people do about it?
The answers are here. They’re not comforting, but they’re necessary.
Truth vs. The Algorithm is both a warning and a guide. It’s a record of how we got here, and a challenge to what we’re willing to tolerate. The algorithm is winning. Truth is losing. And if nothing changes, the cost will be far greater than our attention spans.
Truth vs. The Algorithm exposes the truth consistently loses in the feeds we consume because the system is designed that way. Social media platforms figured out that lies spread faster, anger lasts longer, and division drives profits. The result isn’t just toxic discourse — it’s real-world violence.
Simon Edge traces the path from seemingly harmless posts to catastrophic consequences. He examines case studies where digital propaganda fueled the Christchurch mosque shooting livestreamed on Facebook, the Buffalo massacre broadcast on Twitch, the ethnic cleansing of the Rohingya in Myanmar fanned by Facebook hate speech. He dissects how QAnon turned millions into believers of a dangerous fantasy, how January 6 was organized in plain sight, and how Big Tech executives responded with denial and excuses.
This book isn’t another partisan rant or conspiracy of its own. It’s fact-heavy, carefully documented, and unafraid to point the finger where it at algorithms designed to maximize engagement at any cost. Outrage is the fuel. Lies are the accelerant. We are the product.
At the same time, Edge writes with wit and clarity, making even the darkest truths bearable. He knows laughter can be a lifeline when the facts feel overwhelming.
If you’ve ever
Why does false information spread so much faster than truth?
How do online conspiracy theories leap into real-world violence?
Why don’t the platforms stop it — and why won’t they?
What can ordinary people do about it?
The answers are here. They’re not comforting, but they’re necessary.
Truth vs. The Algorithm is both a warning and a guide. It’s a record of how we got here, and a challenge to what we’re willing to tolerate. The algorithm is winning. Truth is losing. And if nothing changes, the cost will be far greater than our attention spans.
36 pages, Paperback
Published September 29, 2025
About the author
Simon Edge
12 books43 followersSimon Edge read philosophy at Cambridge and had a long career as a newspaper journalist and critic. He is the author of five novels, mostly satirical comedies with a historical theme: The Hopkins Conundrum, a ‘tragic comedy’ based on the life of the poet Gerard Manley Hopkins; The Hurtle of Hell, an atheist comedy featuring God as one of the main characters; A Right Royal Face-Off, about the rivalry between the painters Thomas Gainsborough and Sir Joshua Reynolds, mixed with a satirical modern story; Anyone for Edmund?, a political satire about the discovery of England’s long-lost patron saint; and The End of the World is Flat, described by novelist Jane Harris as ‘Animal Farm for the era of gender lunacy, with jokes’. He lives in Suffolk.
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