Hi everyone, I’m back today with another article. It is on a topic that I’ve discussed before and one that has been making the headlines for all the wrong reasons, social media. You will have seen that plenty of people including footballers have been the subject of racist abuse and has triggered a debate on whether there is enough accountability in identifying online users. You don’t need me to explain that social media can be a hostile environment regardless of who you are but I will present both sides of the argument on whether or not you should delete social media.
The good side of social media
First and foremost, social media is an incredibly powerful tool. Our relatives are only a phone call or a text message away and we can be a fly on the wall for all the latest developments across the world. Breaking News is only a notification away and we can keep ourselves informed in a matter of seconds. You become a part of a rich online community where you can connect with people with shared interests and experiences, whom you can’t access otherwise especially in the current climate and build connections with people who are not in your proximity. It is also the gateway to free online resources that can be accessed from the comfort of your own home that can broaden your knowledge and educate your views on life. Furthermore, help is only a touch of a button away, for example, if you were a student undertaking your final research project. There are plenty of Facebook groups you can join to increase your number of research participants. Also, people who are victims of crime can ask for help, reaching the relevant authorities and mutual friends who can help with providing relevant information and keeping others updated.
The bad side of social media
I’ve discussed before that people can use social media for all the wrong reasons. Firstly, there’s no accountability on the platform which means that people can write abusive comments without any consequences. One issue is that people can hide behind a picture of something/someone else which covers up their identity and it makes it harder to track them down. Secondly, people can spread false information and conspiracy theories as a shortcut to generate publicity, people who are uninformed about the complexity of topical issues always look for shortcuts and jump to conclusions rather than taking the time research the topic with expert opinions and instead choose the easy option to force hype and attention.
This is a segue to the next issue in that social media fuels tribalism and divides everything into right and wrong and good vs evil. As human beings, we’re programmed to jump to conclusions and think in black and white by nature, but these behaviours can be very destructive when applied to societal issues, feelings are often mistaken for facts and we can’t face an opposing opinion without feeling violated or shouting it down. Social media doesn’t encourage people to debate topics in a civilized manner, instead, it fuels antagonism and paints the picture that people who disagree are pure evil rather than settling for middle ground and subtlety. Also, social media becomes an echo chamber in that we only have our own opinions fed back to us and we become either misinformed or uninformed on the facts surrounding important issues in politics, the environment and so on. I echo these views from a book called “The Coddling of The American Mind” by Dr Jonathan Haidt, he is an American Social Psychologist who studies morality and moral emotions. He had noticed behavioural changes in millennials and found that they were the first generation of students to have grown up using social media and researched the impact this had on their behaviours. Further reading can be found in the link below.
Final thoughts
All in all, social media has had a profound impact on our lives and has reaped many benefits including keeping in touch with friends and family and being a fly on the wall to in-depth discussions. However, it can also bring out the worst in people, as they can write abusive comments or spread false information without any consequences. There are times where we want to delete social media for good, but this isn’t always the case as it is a staple to our livelihoods for connecting with relatives and online communities where we can have fun and have interesting discussions. However, there needs to be a correct balance in terms of accountability and privacy so people don’t abuse and misuse the platform and that people can enjoy it without having confidential information being leaked or stolen.
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