Fixing America’s problems (part two)

My second answer to America’s problems also applies to resolving a major planetary plague: Social Media. At first, around 2008, I embraced the concept and used it a lot. Yet, very soon, I realized the extent of its insidious problems. 

Sure, I loved it at first, as a powerful tool for connection and communication with family and friends, but I rapidly discovered its dark sides. One of them is its ability to generate and spread misinformation or “fake news” that too many believe because they’ve never been taught to think critically and verify their sources. 

It’s also known that social media's algorithms are creating echo chambers that confirm what people already tend to believe, speeding up the spread of misinformation and conspiracy theories as well as political polarization or extremism.

Then, there are all these beautiful stories, photos and videos of others that seem to lead a perfect life, far away from the daily grind and down-to-earth problems most folks must contend with. This often contributes to feelings of inadequacy, low self-esteem, and depression. 

There’s also the highly addictive aspect of the platform, encouraging users to spend ever more time scrolling through feeds and engaging with content. Unfortunately, the addictive nature of social media is what will keep it alive for long. Incivility, cyberbullying and harassment are also part and parcel of social media through on-line anonymous nature and lack of accountability. 

Should I mention privacy concerns and data misuse as vast amounts of user data is collected by social media platforms that are then used for targeted advertising, profiling, and even manipulation. While I still use YouTube for storing and sharing my videos and WhatsApp for instant messaging, I have left Facebook/Instagram in 2018 and Twitter (now X) last year. 

These were not easy decisions, but I’m glad I made them!