Internal 2023 communications show Meta staff weighed a "Whisper strategy" to steer academic consensus against Jonathan Haidt before the publication of *The Anxious Generation*. Employees specifically contemplated recruiting Columbia University professor Andrew Gelman to author a negative article targeting the author's arguments. Although the filings do not confirm whether the campaign launched, researchers who have challenged Haidt’s conclusions are forcefully distancing themselves from the company's internal rhetoric.
Key points
The tech company explored ways to undermine Jonathan Haidt ahead of his book's release by…: The tech company explored ways to undermine Jonathan Haidt ahead of his book's release by weaponizing scholarly debate.
Independent researchers who publicly dispute Haidt's theories are vigorously denying any…: Independent researchers who publicly dispute Haidt's theories are vigorously denying any corporate coordination or involvement with Meta.
The leak of corporate plans has provoked severe criticism even from academics who disagre…: The leak of corporate plans has provoked severe criticism even from academics who disagree with Haidt's conclusions.
Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1
Three years ago, Meta apparently considered a plan to turn public opinion against one of its most influential opponents, Jonathan Haidt. But since the proposal was revealed in court filings last month, it’s backfired. In fact, if there’s one thing Anxious Generation author Haidt and his critics can agree on, it’s being mad at Meta.
Meta discussed attacking Jonathan Haidt — now even his haters are annoyed
Meta has ticked off academics on all sides of the social media and mental health debate.
Meta has ticked off academics on all sides of the social media and mental health debate.
Recent court filings in California revealed that Meta employees had discussed in 2023 a “Whisper strategy” to “turn academics against Haidt,” who would soon publish a bestselling book arguing that platforms like Meta’s were hurting kids. Haidt had spent years popularizing his theory that social media and smartphones are to blame for the decline in teens’ mental health, including in his 2018 book The Coddling of the American Mind and before Congress in 2022. To counter it, Meta apparently considered a…
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