Even though social media was created with the intention of bringing us together, in actuality, it has driven us apart, both physically and mentally.  Social media, at its beginnings, was used for more personal interactions, whereas now, voices and topics have expanded to a much larger scale or audience, which is not entirely positive. While social media has connected the world, spreading cute animal videos and worldwide news, it has also created a platform for the quick and easy spread of misinformation and violent ideologies. 

Unfortunately, misinformation spreads faster than the ability to disprove it, leading to an increased spread of outrage and factionalism. Adding more fuel to the fire, a study in 2017 by Pew Research Centers showed that posts exhibiting “indignant disagreement” received twice as much engagement, therefore, encouraging controversial content to be created. Social media also makes it so easy to share, or retweet, creating conditions that make controlling the spread of misinformation to be nearly impossible.

Furthermore, social media has also helped to manufacture this environment of moral grandstanding, along with indigent, and prideful ignorance. By observing what we like and what we dislike, social media sites feed us the content that holds our attention the longest.  This creates a bubble effect, where we only hear and see what we agree with, furthering people’s confidence in their opinions, whether or not the information they are seeing is real or fake. It has become so easy for people to fall into the pit of misinformation, which contributes heavily to this social media dilemma.

As people become contained within their bubbles, their morals and beliefs start to drift towards that particular group, which the individual might not have originally agreed with. Then once the group has solidified their morals, they begin to use them as self-built pedestals upon which they might cast their judgment upon others. Making themselves believe that they are better and more dignified than all others, they close off any avenues for conversation between groups and ideas. This open forum known as the internet quickly becomes a multitude of ships firing upon one another, rather than a place of open and honest conversation.

With the commitment to the truth no longer mattering and people of all sides falling victim to one form or another of misinformation, not only our future as a country, but our future as a planet becomes at risk. If people cannot even come to terms with whether or not climate change is real, how can we ever move forward to make the necessary changes that are imperative for a safe and healthy future for all?

In order to be a responsible social media user, it is important to always do your own fact-checking and try to be open-minded to other ideas and different points of view. There are some important tips to keep in mind while sorting through information on social media.

It is important to.. 

1. develop a critical mindset, 

 2. check the source, 

 3. see who else is reporting the story, 

 4. examine the evidence, 

 5. don’t take images at face value, 

 6. and check that it “sounds right.”

PATTERSON, JONATHAN.

 While, as an individual, there is nothing that can be done to change the current social climate, it is important to be self-aware and not contribute to the hostility, arguments and spread of misinformation. Try to contribute only in productive discourse and hopefully, we can strive to come together again and work with, instead of against, each other. 

Sources:

By the Mind Tools Content Team. “How to Spot Real and Fake News: Critically Appraising Information.” From MindTools.com, 2020, http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/fake-news.htm.

Haidt, Jonathan, and Tobias Rose-Stockwell. “The Dark Psychology of Social Networks.” The Atlantic, Atlantic Media Company, 12 Nov. 2019, http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2019/12/social-media-democracy/600763/.

PATTERSON, JONATHAN. “Social Media Created Our Political Climate.” Letter, 5 Apr. 2018, http://www.jhunewsletter.com/article/2018/04/social-media-created-our-political-climate.