Silicon Valley's admiration for Nietzsche stems from a desire to embrace a survival of the fittest mindset. This ideology coexists with admiration for other economic philosophers. The interpretation of Nietzsche's philosophy, particularly from The Gay Science, is frequently examined in the context of social media and corporate decisions. Nietzsche’s ideas raise questions about the morality of social media practices, such as algorithms, fact-checking, and user experience design. A hypothetical scenario is proposed about how Nietzsche might approach redesigning platforms like Facebook or Instagram if he were in charge.
Some Silicon Valley leaders have a bizarre adoration for philosophers like Adam Smith, Ayn Rand, and Friedrich Hayek. Alongside these thinkers, Friedrich Nietzsche is frequently mentioned in tech circles.
This is done to propagate a survival of the fittest ideology. "The world is a competitive place, where the strong will eat the weak. This is human nature, and Nietzsche simply states the obvious."
In this text, I will look at the connections between Nietzsche's ideology and recent decisions made by social media companies.
Zuckerberg claimed in 2024 that fact-checkers are 'too politically biased' and 'have destroyed more trust than they've created, especially in the U.S.'
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