Audience Capture

Audience Capture is a self-reinforcing feedback loop that involves telling one's audience what they want to hear and getting rewarded for it. Eric originally introduced this concept in an article published in May 8, 2018 at the New York Times by Bari Weiss, titled Meet the Renegades of the Intellectual Dark Web.

I may have introduced the concept of Audience Capture, because I've been worrying about the same thing from the beginning. You know, I think I've counseled many people that you have to put poisonous tweets for the people who follow you, who you wish would not follow you, you know, you have to make sure in some sense, that they understand that you're not there to flatter them.

Eric Weinstein on Rebel Wisdom @ 10 min

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Eric Weinstein

@EricRWeinstein

I try to keep an open mind w/ those who disagree w/ me. But any chance I get to shed followers w/ incurable hate in their hearts is welcome.

5:10 AM · Dec 13, 2016

Eric Weinstein

@EricRWeinstein

I periodically intentionally shed clusters of followers to avoid what I years ago termed “Audience Capture” by tweeting fair points that I know unreasonable people will not abide. Whoever is left is usually fair minded.

I’m now worried I’m losing followers due to a purge though.

3:12 PM · Jan 9, 2021

Eric Weinstein

@EricRWeinstein

True. But always *actively* try to lose your weak followers. “Audience Capture” is a killer.

“Unfollowed!” can often be your favorite Tweet. We all have our stupid phases & disagreements, and you don’t want those who punk on you if their needs aren’t continuously met/flattered.

10:23 AM · Feb 17, 2022

Nassim Nicholas Taleb

@nntaleb

The best way to get followers is to not care about losing followers.

10:08 AM · Feb 15, 2022

Eric Weinstein

@EricRWeinstein

You may be undervaluing how devious it can be. Indulge me.

You can ensure, for example; that ideological critics see 100%. They then ridicule the idea of censorship because they do in fact see all tweets!

When I pushed “AudienceCapture” I erred. “FeedbackCapture” is the issue.

3:53 PM · Oct 28, 2022

Sam Hardy

@SamWarrenHardy

@MaajidNawaz @elonmusk

I never see Maajids tweets unless I look for them. The censorship has been in your face obvious!

12:01 PM · Oct 28, 2022

Eric Weinstein

@EricRWeinstein

Audience Capture is merely a specific case of the more general concept of Feedback Capture. A platform can confuse & gaslight a target. Or a dedicated harassment community can repeatedly paint a target on an individual. Or you can hire a farm of bots to confuse a target/audience.

3:56 PM · Oct 28, 2022

Eric Weinstein

@EricRWeinstein

Conversely, Feedback Capture works to target an audience of an individual who sees the same FUD vocabulary used repeatedly using the previously strategies. The point is that you use black box algos, anonymous accounts, perseveration, FUD, to manipulate BOTH individual & audience.

4:01 PM · Oct 28, 2022

Eric Weinstein

@EricRWeinstein

This is basically the idea of Iago from Othello. When I have warned you always to “look for Iago”, the underlying concept is Feedback Capture. Othello actually becomes a different human via alienation of affections. Is Othello a good person? Hard to say. He is Iago-programmed.

4:05 PM · Oct 28, 2022

Eric Weinstein

@EricRWeinstein

Lastly this can easily be done in a surgical/bespoke fashion. Friends no longer know when a friend is in trouble. Or 10,000 accounts may find the exact same obvious misinterpretation. With Feedback capture you never know what is happening. It’s one of the biggest threats today.

4:18 PM · Oct 28, 2022

Eric Weinstein

@EricRWeinstein

Why? Because targeted manipulated feedback creates its own reality. It may start off as bullshit, but it becomes real via Kayfabrication. Oddly I covered this years ago! Just didn’t see it as a big threat so didn’t break it out.

A huge blunder on my part: https://edge.org/response-detail/11783

4:18 PM · Oct 28, 2022

Eric Weinstein

@EricRWeinstein

@cvaldary Sure. I have been pretty active in emphasizing the following;

GIN
Kayfabe
Russell Conjugation
DISC
E.G.O.
Preference Falsification
Audience Capture
My Four Quadrant Model
Anthropic Capitalism
IDW

There are a lot. Some as with the above are due to others.

8:14 PM · Jan 10, 2023

Related Concepts

• Feedback Capture
• Interoperability and Exclusion

Additional Resources

• Meet the Renegades of the Intellectual Dark Web Published on May 8, 2018 on The New York Times
• Making Sense with Sam Harris #229 ~08:50