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Updated: Jan 27, 2026

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Published on: November 3, 2018
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The case against efficiency: friction in social media
Joshua Garland1, Joe Bak-Coleman2,3, Susan Benesch4
1Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ USA.
Summary
Social media
Area of Science:
- Digital media studies
- Human-computer interaction
- Complex systems theory
Background:
- Social media platforms often optimize for efficiency, impacting user engagement and trust.
- This pursuit of efficiency can exacerbate issues like polarization and disinformation.
- Alternative design principles are needed to foster healthier online environments.
Purpose of the Study:
- To challenge the efficiency-first paradigm in social media design.
- To explore 'friction'—intentionally slowing user interactions—as a beneficial design strategy.
- To propose a framework for analyzing and implementing friction in digital platforms.
Main Methods:
- Interdisciplinary literature review on friction and complex systems.
- Analysis of real-world examples and industry experiments.
- Proposal of a state space representation for friction analysis.
- Design of experimental studies to test friction's impact.
Main Results:
- Friction can mitigate polarization, disinformation, and toxic content without censorship.
- A multidimensional framework for understanding friction's diverse applications is proposed.
- Experimental designs are presented to study friction's effects on information ecosystems.
Conclusions:
- Advocating for a shift from efficiency to a more deliberate design approach using friction.
- Highlighting friction's critical role in shaping digital spaces and user behavior.
- Emphasizing the potential of thoughtful slowing for improved online environments.
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