TWiT 1071: Image Pickles - Are Social Platforms Addictive or Just Too Good?

Feb 16, 2026

Ask episode

Chapters

Transcript

Episode notes

Is social media addictive by design or just irresistible entertainment? The panel tackles the lawsuit that's dragging tech giants onto the witness stand and how surveillance tech is quietly expanding while lawmakers and users scramble to catch up.

Jury told that Meta, Google 'engineered addiction' at landmark US trial
Instagram Chief Says Social Media Is Not 'Clinically Addictive' in Landmark Trial
Section 230 turns 30 as it faces its biggest tests yet
Meta apparently thinks we're too distracted to care about facial recognition and Ray-Bans
Amazon Ring's Super Bowl ad sparks backlash amid fears of mass surveillance
Ring cancels its partnership with Flock Safety after surveillance backlash
TikTok is tracking you, even if you don't use the app.
Discord backtracks on controversial age verification rollout...kind of
Discord/Twitch/Snapchat age verification bypass
The DJI Romo robovac had security so poor that this man remotely accessed thousands of them
HP's laptop subscriptions are a great deal — for HP
FTC Ratchets Up Microsoft Probe, Queries Rivals on Cloud, AI
T-Mobile announces its network is now full of AI by rolling out real-time translation
Apple's latest attempt to launch the new Siri runs into snags
SpaceX Prioritizes Lunar 'Self-Growing City' Over Mars Project, Musk Says
Elon Musk declares victory with Medicaid data release
Waymo Is Getting DoorDashers to Close Doors on Self Driving Cars
Backblaze Drive Stats for 2025
$1.8 million MST3K Kickstarter brings in (almost) everyone from the old show
OpenAI Is Nuking Its 4o Model. China's ChatGPT Fans Aren't OK
Hideki Sato, designer of all Sega's consoles, has died
Byte magazine artist Robert Tinney, who illustrated the birth of PCs, dies at 78
Launching The Rural Guaranteed Minimum Income Initiative

Host: Leo Laporte

Guests: Wesley Faulkner, Stacey Higginbotham, and Thomas Germain

Download or subscribe to This Week in Tech at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-tech

Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts!
Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit

Sponsors: