How Is Social Media Turning Societies Upside Down?

Successful real-world communities follow a few basic rules that maintain civility and order. These rules are ignored social media. In fact, they are completely reversible. That’s why social media may increase anxiety And loneliness.

Simple Rules for Simple Communities

In well-functioning societies, each individual is valued regardless of his ability or social status. A child deserves this attention an adult and an older person receive the same attention as a teenager, etc. There is universal basic respect.

The second principle (universal courtesy) is a practical extension of the first. The community practices universal courtesy because every person deserves respect. This means that community members greet strangers with the same respect as they would greet an acquaintance.

Universal politeness works best in a community where most individuals know each other, but it often breaks down in large cities where people encounter mostly strangers.

The third principle is the willingness to follow rules, which reinforces cooperative behavior and punishes bullies and cheats.

A functional community is easy to recognize because its members are well integrated and happy. Social media networks clearly fail this test. In fact, young people state that the longer they spend time on the internet, the lonelier they feel (1). There is a terrible problem with social media (2). The problem is that they are governed by an interaction algorithm that ignores the principles of successful communities.

Enter the Engagement Algorithm

Social media is failing its users because it is corrupted by the drive for money and profit. This is implemented by the engagement algorithm that runs social media content streams. The engagement algorithm is good at monetizing social media attention, but it undermines or even reverses the three rules of successful communities.

Major media companies like Facebook make money from sensationalism, hate and antisocial expressions and behavior. Forget universal courtesy and basic respect! Their platforms also lack the social control mechanisms that sustain civil relations in real-world communities.

These problems can be indicated by a trigger. genocide in Myanmar At that time, the internet was new in the country and access was largely provided through Facebook. Government propaganda was treated as credible journalism.

Today, the content of news around the world is shifting towards interpersonal rivalries, scandalous rumors and conspiracy theories because these are the contents that attract the attention of readers. The interaction algorithm encourages petty rivalries and hate speech in general. In this process, the rules of simple communities are reversed.

Flipping the Rules

The real problem is that the worst actors get the most attention. This is partly due to basic human psychology. The child who throws the most and worst tantrums is rewarded with a monopoly of parental attention, and the underlying psychology is similar on social media.

The most effective way for parents to deal with tantrums is to give the child some time off and have them punished by attracting the parents’ attention during this time. The interaction algorithm does the opposite.

Whether it’s wealthy actors arguing about divorce, scantily clad influencers, politicians insulting each other, or a person coming up with the most implausible conspiracy theory, we shouldn’t be surprised that the main voices on the internet come from people behaving badly. (Despite some recent efforts to verify the facts, conspiracy theories are alive and well).

Real-world social interactions are organized very differently. People who act obnoxiously are avoided like the plague. They become ostracized, and the damage to their reputation has real-world consequences.

In real-world social networks, rude people are punished, while those who are kind and gentle are rewarded. They are warmly welcomed among the people. They participate in conversations and are invited to participate in leisure and social events. In real life, attention mechanisms work almost the opposite of how the interaction algorithm works.

Bullies and cheats in the real world are dealt with harshly. They are socially punished and subjected to the rigors of law enforcement. But online bullies operate with almost complete impunity. They are not challenged because potential rivals would face the same kinds of abuses.

Internet trolls often operate under a cloak of anonymity by hiding under fake profiles with fake identities or using virtual private networks that make them impossible to track. This protects them from reprisals. There is no protection for young people experiencing anxiety. depression in a society dominated by virtual communities (3).

Can social media be fixed? It is difficult to say this because these are a law in themselves. There are really only two options. We either cure them or let them go.