The document discusses the impact of technology and social media on attention spans and societal behavior, highlighting issues such as manipulation by big tech companies and the prevalence of disinformation. It emphasizes the unprecedented control that individuals like Mark Zuckerberg have over massive user bases and suggests regulatory approaches to mitigate these problems. Additionally, it offers practical tips for individuals to reduce their reliance on attention-maximizing apps and foster more meaningful offline connections.

1. Taking Back Our Lives
Parakum Pathirana
Cyber Security Adviser for Banks/Startups, Author, Recreational Cyclist
Ph.D., MSc., FBCS, CBSA, CISSP, CISA, CISM, CGEIT, CCSK, ITIL, ISO 27001 LA, MCP, CHFI, QCS

2. Disclaimer
• I’m employed in the #infosec industry, however not
authorized to speak on behalf of my employer/
clients
• Everything I say can be blamed on the voices in
your head

3. What happens in an Internet Minute

4. The issues
• Technology is the most significant and invincible
actor
• How does big tech companies make money?
• Mcnamees 7th Law
• All are fighting for your attention span
• YouTube – auto play feature
• Facebook – filter bubbles, monochrome search vs.
technicolor

5. The issues
• Things that captures the best at capturing attention
are not in the ones strengthen the fabric of the
society
• Conspiracy theory videos
• Value of these companies are based on how much
of attention they can keep for humans
• Purpose of technology – bicycle for the mind
• How do we behave? We are vulnerable to social
likes, validations

6. The Problem
“Facebook is Mark, and Mark is Facebook”, Mark has
60% voting rights for Facebook. So you have an
individual, 33 years old, who has basically full
control over 2 billion people over the world. That’s
unprecedented. Even the president of United
States has checks and balances.”
Tavis McGinn – Personal Pollster for Zuck & Sherill
during April – Sep 2017

7. Research Findings
Dis-information and fake news are shared 70% more
often than factual stories and spread roughly six
times faster. Amrch 2017, Science Magazine,
Study conducted by MIT Professors

8. Cambridge Analytica Catostrophe
“we exploited Facebook to harvest millions of
people’s profiles. And built models to exploit what
we knew about them and target their inner demons.
That was the basis the entire company was built
on” – Christopher Wylie (worked for Cambridge
Analytica)

9. How does the rabbit tunnel go?
Facebook – 29000 data points
Terms of service –protects the platform not the user

11. A Simple Solution
• Apps that don’t try to maximize attention
• Creating a culture of awakening – people don’t know
that this is a problem
• Regulations = regulate social media like tobacco
companies
• Change company behavior
• Inspire alternatives

12. What can you do?
* Switch off Notification on you mobile
* activate gray scale mode on Phone
* spend that time with your family
* focus on human centered designs – Centre for
Humane Technology

13. Thank you