Hey there, it's Stephen Dubner.

Before today's episode, I'd like to tell you about a brand new podcast that I think

you'll be interested in.

It is called Sudier Breaks the Internet.

Sudier Van Kitesh is a sociologist at Columbia University who during the first couple decades

of his career embedded himself with drug gangs and gun runners and sex workers, he then

wrote a fascinating book called Gang Leader for a Day.

One person who read the book was Mark Zuckerberg, he asked Sudier to come work at Facebook.

Sudier then spent three years at Facebook and the next two at Twitter.

Both companies wanted him to apply the tools of sociology to address things like hate speech

and bullying, maybe any incipient plans for an insurrection.

Now that Sudier is out of Silicon Valley, he's taking a long hard look at the people who

run our digital universe.

The massive promise of these platforms and the massive problems too.

The result is Sudier Breaks the Internet.

It is the latest show from the Freakonomics Radio Network.

You can get it now on any podcast app that is Sudier, SUD, HIR, Breaks the Internet and

let us know what you think.

Here now is today's Freakonomics Radio episode.

Let's have a little thought experiment.

Imagine that civilization had somehow gotten to where we've gotten in 2021 without the

use of either marijuana or alcohol and they're both discovered overnight.

...