It was meant to bring us all together, to cross the divides of land and sea and become a virtual town square. A place for people to connect and share their thoughts, ideas and dreams. 

The vision was there, but the reality of social media has become something much different. 

It’s a place driven by outrage, hate, and controversy. And it’s ruining public debate and possibly us as a society. 

Ed Coper is one of the founding strategists behind GetUp! and he’s written a new book Angertainment about how social media has birthed an entire outrage industry that is harvesting and monetising our worst impulses. 

In this chat with Sacha Barbour Gatt, Ed tells us how we got here and why understanding it is the first step to defeating it. 

Ed Coper appears at The Wheeler Centre in Melbourne on Wednesday 24 June. Angertainment is available now. 

The Weekend List:

• To do: Get to a Jazz bar (recommended by listener Timmy) 
• To do: Get around the SBS 
• To Watch: John Safran’s new doco Shut Your Big Fat Mouth John Safran (on SBS)
• To Watch: The Socceroos (beat?) the US at the World Cup 

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