When I was a child, my mother took me and my siblings to the public library every other Saturday. We would get enough books for two weeks, read them, and then take them back and do it all over again. I loved going to the library and loved reading – I still do. My mother read a lot, so it’s no wonder that all of her children also read a lot. When we went to the library, my mother would check out books too. Once we got back home, we would share with each other what books we checked out. Sometimes I was so excited, I couldn’t wait until we got home to share, and I told my mother and my siblings the names of my books while we were still in the library.
I am of a certain age that when I was a child and teenager, evenings and weekends were for reading, playing outside, and watching television. Now, with the influx of technology and social media, those young and older, now spend their free time scrolling on an electronic device. There have been some recent conversations regarding the new Netflix documentary, The Social Dilemma, which discusses the rise of social media and demonstrates how designers created various algorithms that predict what we are likely to do before we do it. I was a little hesitant to watch it, knowing that over the years I have become more addicted to social media, usually picking up my phone first thing in the morning. But I was also intrigued by the information I was reading about how foreign governments were using social networks to spread propaganda, and believed I owed it to myself to get additional information. I highly recommend watching the documentary – especially if you have children. Although I am not a proponent of canceling all social media platforms; after all, it has allowed long-lost friends to reconnect, allows family members to stay in touch when they live in different states, and is a great way to market products and services. However, it has also created a world where online connection has become primary and unknowingly created negative mental health issues for our pre-teens, teenagers and adults as unnamed/unpictured trolls believe they can be as mean as they want and say hurtful things to people.
Growing up I loved dinner-time. My mother made us all sit at the table and the television or radio was not allowed to be turned on. If the phone rang, we could answer, but had to immediately tell the person on the other end that we were eating dinner and would have to call them back later. Dinner was a time for us to talk about our day or anything else. It was a lively time. I was a talker, so I always had something to talk about or questions to ask. Even now, when I am out with family or friends, my phone is in my purse. If it rings, I don’t answer. There is a voicemail and I can always call back later. It amazes me when I go out to dinner, how many people have their phones out and/or are actually looking at them and scrolling. I was out with my sister once, and there was a couple sitting next to us. They did not speak to each other the whole meal, as both were on their phones. Another time, I saw a family and the young girl stayed on her phone the entire meal. It saddens me when I see this. The phone and the addiction of tracking how many people “liked” our post or picture, has become our answer to boredom and apathy.
The Netflix documentary stated that the designers didn’t set out to be evil when they created the “Like” button. Their intent was about spreading joy. Unknowingly, it had the opposite effect. We have become trained and conditioned that when we are lonely, uncomfortable, uncertain, or afraid, we have a digital pacifier and we can receive a dose of social approval every five minutes (The Social Dilemma). The “Like” button became a method that took over kids’ self-worth and identity. And the data proves social media has not been good for our kids. Since social media sites were created in 2010, there has been an increase in depression and anxiety in teenagers. The percentage of older teens who have been hospitalized due to cutting increased by 62%; 189% for pre-teens (The Social Dilemma). It’s the same for suicide – it increased by 70% for older teens and 151% for pre-teens (The Social Dilemma). The pattern points to social media.
As disturbing as what is happening to our young people due to social media, it’s downright frightening to learn about the manipulative, global assault on our democracy. The algorithms continue to get better and better. The articles you read, pictures you view, and videos you watch are all being tracked and monitored. Not only which ones, but the length of time you are viewing them. That data is layered on our past behaviors and it builds models to predict our actions. It then matches you up with others who view things as you do, and you continue to get more of the same in your feed. As you continue to read the same type of articles daily and more and more people are agreeing with that perspective, you begin to think that your way is correct and question why others don’t believe as you do when all of the information is stating the facts. However, those who don’t believe as you do, are not seeing what you are seeing. They are seeing a set of facts that state things differently. This becomes an issue because if everyone has their own facts, there is no need for compromise. If we can’t agree with what’s true, we can’t navigate out of any of our problems, and total chaos and division are created (The Social Dilemma). An MIT study showed that fake news on Twitter spreads six times faster than true news. And the debate about foreign countries hacking into Facebook isn’t entirely true. They are not hacking Facebook; they are just utilizing the tools Facebook created for unsavory purposes.
It’s all very overwhelming. And after watching the documentary, it’s easy to want to blame technology and just turn off all devices or not use any of the social media platforms. But I believe something that was mentioned in the documentary: Technology is not an existential threat. Technology is bringing out the worst in society and the worst in society is the existential threat. Each of us needs to determine what makes us turn to social media? Are we looking for validation? How do we feel while we’re on social media sites or after we log off? If we find that it is having a negative effect on our self-esteem or mood, then there are things we can do to minimize our time on social media platforms. We can stop logging on for a period of time, keep our phones out of our bedrooms, and limit the amount of time we are on our phones during the day. In fact, experts encourage parents to limit the time their children are on social media sites and most suggest not even allowing them access to social media until high school. To combat fake news, we should fact-check any information we read and follow different people – people who don’t necessarily agree with our point of view. In the end, social media platforms have to be held responsible. Currently, there are few regulations and rules and they basically run themselves. More focus has been on how much money is made than ensuring each platform takes responsibility for content posted on their site. And maybe instead of picking up our phone first thing in the morning or scrolling every time we get bored, we pick up a book, go for a walk outside, or actually talk to our family at mealtime. As Edward Tufte said, “There are only two industries that call their customers “users”: illegal drugs and software”.