'Social' Media vs. Society

Want a good life?  Fun, friends, connection?  Maybe even a happier, healthier, sustainable world?

Social media is not our friend. 

But it does do a very good job of pretending. It lures us in, again and again. Billions of us. Hypnotized, powerless, like moths to a flame. 

Most people seem to believe that 'social' media is a more open, participative, even democratic form of communications. Maybe even social, do you think?

And so, we blindly entrust profiteering billionaires with all manner of personal information.  Add to that our contacts. Our creativity. Our time and energy. 

Tricked? Trapped? Addicted?

When society moved away from older forms of communication — face-to-face, telephone, e-mail — we took a big leap into a new world, without really knowing where we were going, or why. 

It's true, social media isn't all bad. For some, it's the only way they have of fleetingly connecting with friends. Also, local community groups can sometimes be very functional.

But for the most part, what appears to be good, is just an illusion. 

The instant gratification of seeing someone 'like', 'share' or even comment on your post. It's a tiny thrill, but an addictive one. Researchers have shown that all the big corporate social media — Facebook, Instagram, Tiktok, WhatsApp — have been designed to hypnotize and distract you. It's possible that social media once had a positive, social goal. But at this point, it exists entirely to hypnotize and deliver you to corporate advertisers – and worse. 

They are not designed to serve you, the community, the country. Something more like exploit, divide and conquer. It's all a big trick.

Facebook harms children, sows division and undermines democracy in pursuit of breakneck growth and "astronomical profits." – PBS

The fact that these platforms are owned by billionaires with little or no interest in helping society or environment, should give us pause. Not to mention their interest in perpetual materialism, fossil fuel addiction, greed and war. 

Yet they've created something so alluring — on the surface it looks so colourful and diverse. It's hard to see it as an evil robot, manipulating elections and delivering the needy to corporate advertisers. That's the "algorithm". 

The average person now spends about 16 hours a week, passively scrolling through social media. That's about 7 years of your life. (More than 20 years if you include streaming and online video). Multiply that by billions of hypnotized, scrolling users...

Zombie. Noun. A mute and will-less body, robbed of its soul and given the semblance of life by a supernatural force, usually for manual labor or some evil purpose.  (dictionary.com)

Social Media Zombies. Noun. Plural. Billions of mute and will-less bodies, robbed of their souls and given the semblance of life by an evil billionaire, usually for evil...  (adapted)

What a waste! Could you imagine if even half that time was shifted to living life fully — participating in real communities, doing real things? Maybe even helping with social and environmental change? Many of the the world's problems could be solved. While the billionaires and dictators would lose a lot of their power. 

What can you do?

1. Minimize your social media use. Set a specific time of day, and use a timer. For example, 15 or 30 minutes, during your lunch hour.
2. If you must use social media, use it in the browser only: Chrome or Firefox (or if you really must, Edge). In any case, don't take the bait and download their app.
3. Uninstall the app from your phone. By having the app on your phone, you hand over far more privacy and other risks. Even if you're not actively using it. (If for some reason you truly need it in the future, it's all too easy to install again.)
4. Don't use the various 'messenger' features and apps. Continuing to do so is placing far too much power and data, to far too few hands.
5. Instead, always communicate by phone, e-mail, text, or in person. 
6. Get your news and information from more direct sources. Newspaper, radio, or credible online sources. Never just one source, though, that leaves you open to manipulation. How about a weekly trip to the news rack at your local library, bookstore or cafe? Learn more about media literacy, critical thinking, and our shared, vulnerable future.
7. Unplug and do it in person. Go to commmunity events, activities, courses, meetings and discussion groups.
8. Go for a walk, bike, the local cafe, fitness centre or library. Read a book. Join a real, in-person club or activity. Do some gardening or offer to help the neighbours. #ActiveLiving
9. If you need other ways to calm or focus your mind, learn mindfulness, mantra meditation, and walking. 
10. If you just can't do without digital 'socials', at least switch to some of the smaller or not-for-profit alternatives. For example, Bluesky instead of X. Jitsi, instead of Zoom. Duck, instead of Google. More... 
     

11. More on how to quit 
    'socials': Duck | Google 
     

Seven years, just clicking
and scrolling?

Your life is yours to live.  
 

Is it time to unplug? 
 

 

 

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In the news...

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Is social media addictive? How it keeps you clicking and the harms it can cause — "For years, big tech companies have placed the burden of managing screen time squarely on individuals and parents, operating on the assumption that capturing human attention is fair game." ... "One industry expert told the BBC that the problem is “no longer just about toxic content, it’s about toxic design”.... "accusing big tech companies of creating “addiction machines” ... "a growing body of academic research suggests features like infinite scrolling, autoplay and push notifications are engineered to override human self-control." Full story

Social Media Isn’t Just Speech. It’s Also a Defective, Hazardous Product. — "For two decades now, social media companies have been virtually untouchable, profitably floating above accusations that they normalize propaganda, addict children and degrade our character."  ... "growing realization that social media is also a matter of public health" ... "has accused the platforms of designing their products in ways that harmed her mental and physical health"  ... "Facebook, Instagram and YouTube..." Full story

‘IG is a drug’: jury to deliberate as US trial over social media addiction wraps up — "KGM’s lawyers allege some of the features that social media companies built into their platforms, such as an infinitely scrollable feed and video autoplay, are designed to keep people on the apps and create to their addictive quality. The lawyers also allege that “like” buttons feed into teens’ desire for validation and features such as beauty filters can distort young peoples’ self-image." ... “[The] goal is not viewership, it’s viewer addiction.” ... Full story

And yet, an age-based social media ban is a terrible idea. The only way it could be implemented is via massive public surveillance. Instead, 'social' media corporations must be required to remove the addictive features of their platforms — for all ages. Ban infinite scroll and autoplay, not social media itself. Much simpler and less prone to further corruption and harms.

The world wants to ban children from social media, but there will be grave consequences for us all — "Age-verification systems require collecting sensitive data to support the biometric information. In no time, the internet will become a fully surveilled digital panopticon ... Full story 

Banning social media for minors would hurt everyone — adults included — "A social media ban would disproportionately harm queer and trans people, and restrict LGBTQ2S+ materials" ... Full story 

 

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Dramatic rise in fake political content on social media as Canada prepares to vote — "Report finds over a quarter of Canadians exposed to ‘more sophisticated and more politically polarizing’ fake content" ... Full story

Tell YouTube, TikTok, Meta, LinkedIn and X: Show Us Your Most-Viewed Content — Every day, billions of people scroll through social media. But which posts go viral — and disproportionately shape what we see, think, and talk about? The absurd truth: we don’t know. Only social media companies know which posts dominate our feeds. Without this transparency, election disinformation can spread unchecked. Violent content can go viral with little oversight. And when the next crisis hits, the public is left in the dark once again. ... Full story

Are Canada's internet and social media laws heavily favouring corporate power, media barons such as Bell and Rogers — instead of the public good? — "Yes, many critics, independent analysts, and smaller competitors argue that recent Canadian internet and social media laws heavily favour incumbent media conglomerates such as Bell Canada and Rogers Communications. Regulations such as the Online News Act (Bill C-18) and the Online Streaming Act (Bill C-11) are designed to support the Canadian broadcasting system, which is largely controlled by a small number of vertically integrated firms that own both the content (broadcasting) and the delivery infrastructure (telecom/internet)"  Google Search | Council of Canadians
 

 

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Coming soon:

Part II 
Social Media for Nonprofits & Employers

Can you really believe that social media course, consultant, 'expert'?

Or, have they too been tricked by predatory billionaires, down the rabbit hole?

Are there better, more effective ways to spend your funding, your resources? Are there better choices that don't hurt society, undermine the mission and purpose of your organization? Can your organization get off the social media bandwagon?

 

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What about AI?

AI/LLM can be an enormously helpful tool. Unfortunately, it's being developed by for-profit corporations, and at a time when the US is sliding into violent authoritarianism. Power corrupts. We all need to think very carefully about just how much we want to hand over to the corporations and governments who own and control these systems. What would happen, for example, if a fascist government knew pretty much everything about everybody? Killer robots are no longer in the realm of fiction. 

 

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Disclaimer: The above is provided on an "As Is" basis and for general informational purposes only. People and Planet (also known as "GoodWork") is not responsible for the content, accuracy, timeliness, completeness, legality, reliability, quality or suitability of this posting. This page is intended to highlight just a few of the downsides of social media, in a world where it's spinning out of control. Of course, the pros and cons of social media in your case may be different. Please do your own research – preferrably *off* social media – to decide what is best for you. Quitting suddenly may cause withdrawal symptoms. If needed, please consult medical/professional help. 

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#digitaldetox #socialmediadetox #unplugging #loggingoff #thegreatlogoff #digitalminimalism
#screentime #screenaddiction #behavioraddiction #offlineliving
#medialiteracy #mindfultech 
#happiness #wellbeing #participation #engagement #meaningfulwork 
#corporatecorruption #accountability #democracy