The conventional wisdom among social-media experts is that social media is neither good nor bad; rather it is how social media is used that determines whether it is life affirming or life damaging. These same social-media experts (myself included) have been reluctant to speak strongly against these technology platforms for fear of being labeled a Luddite, anti-tech, or an extremist crackpot who wished for an electromagnetic pulse to destroy the internet (Jessica Alba pop culture reference intended). So, we present a \u201cfair and balanced\u201d perspective that highlights both the benefits and costs. The problem with this seemingly reasonable approach is that it has caused a false equivalency about social media, suggesting that its upsides and downsides carry equal weight. But, having seen all the ills that social media hath wrought over the last decade, I\u2019ve finally had it with this \u201csafe\u201d approach. It\u2019s time to state what many know to be true: social media has become an existential threat to free, civilized, and democratic society.<\/p>\n
Social media didn\u2019t start out to this way. Mark Zuckerberg, the emotionally obtuse founder and CEO of Facebook, started \u201cThe Facebook\u201d as a way to connect students at Harvard and, later, as its mission statement declares, \u201cto give people the power to build community and bring the world closer together.\u201d Well, folks, that ship sailed a long time ago. Social media hasn\u2019t lived up to its potential because its creators, like Dr. Frankenstein, didn\u2019t know that they were creating a monster that they couldn\u2019t control, couldn\u2019t have foreseen how it would be used, and didn\u2019t consider the truly pernicious impact it would have at every level of society. They never thought social media would stray from far from the idyllic pastures of Silicon Valley from which it was birthed.<\/p>\n
As the so-called Facebook Papers, leaked by the whistleblower, Frances Haugen, so damningly laid bare, when the leaders of Facebook (and the other social media platforms) realized how social media was being used, they willfully ignored it because feeding the online frenzy was immensely profitable. There were no attempts to staunch the bleeding until public outrage forced them to take publicity-driven steps to combat its abuse. Zuckerberg and Facebook showed themselves to be the morally corrupt exemplar of social media in 2021, but he and it were far from alone.<\/p>\n
Many people liken social media to a tool that people can use any way they want (I used to as well). When I think of tools, I think of hammers, screwdrivers, and computer-assisted design software. Tools are inert, have no awareness or intention, and can\u2019t act on their own. Their only value comes when someone chooses to use the tool for some specific purpose and the user controls the tool.<\/p>\n