Where social media has arrived
Do you remember the last time you visited an internet forum? They were common around a decade ago. And when was the last time you deliberately browsed a website for a news story?
In general, try to assess where you predominantly obtain information when you are online. Which source of information overload has long become your main and completely familiar one? Yes, we are talking about social media, which has recently pushed aside traditional media outlets and websites to a great extent. Let’s examine why this happened, what threat it poses and what we should do about it now.
Reasons for growth
First of all, we should ask the question: why have social networks become so popular, what is it about them that attracts us so much? There are numerous reasons. It is primarily the ability not only to read the news, but also to immediately participate in its discussion, while receiving feedback from other users. Another extremely strong factor is the speed at which news arrives. Here, practically no one bears any responsibility, with rare exceptions, for unreliable or misleading information. Moreover, some individuals simply do not want to receive information after it has passed through filters, without realising that these filters weed out dubious or even dangerous content. These factors, combined with the widespread availability and declining cost of smartphones, have made possible the phenomenon of such rapid growth in social networks.ATOMISATION IS COMING
One of the main issues with modern social networks is the atomisation of information. People consume it in ever smaller portions; they find it difficult to process large amounts and prefer to receive watered-down information with ready-made conclusions.It is no coincidence that TikTok and Threads are currently the fastest growing and most popular social platforms — both offer the simplest and shortest way to present information. Users do not even consume specific news; rather, they exist within a kind of informational and advertising backdrop, paying attention only to stimuli that stand out sharply from the general noise.
Pitfalls
The growing influence of social networks brings with it a rise in completely non-obvious problems, which users simply do not consider until they are trapped in a snare that alters their psyche so much that they fail even to notice it. First and foremost, I am referring to so-called social bubbles. The fact is that social networks try to select content and people for you to communicate with based on your interests — solely to keep you engaged for longer, consuming their advertising and refraining from visiting competitors. As a result, a person ends up in an environment of like-minded people, receiving mostly news that appeals to that group, even if it includes claims that the earth is flat and the secret authorities are hiding the fact.This example is somewhat grotesque, but if we replace the flat earth with a less popular ideology, it reveals new facets of the issue. Social network users find themselves, to varying degrees, in similar bubbles.
Next, there is the problem of advertising — both overt and covert, commercial and political. Why has advertising suddenly become a problem? The point is that if algorithms know a person’s preferences, advertisements will be selected to be as relevant as possible. In this context, the danger lies, in particular, in the possibility of political manipulation.
The necessary narratives can be inserted into virtually any news item on any topic; genuine media outlets cannot allow themselves to do so simply because of legal requirements. Yet a blogger can mention anything in their text or video, and even get paid for it.
Thus, social networks also function as a circulatory system for targeted advertising and manipulative techniques.To summarise, social media has created communities of interest with a less than impressive degree of critical thinking and a weak resistance to manipulation. Naturally, those who are susceptible to influence have been — and will continue to be — targeted. A prime example of this is 2020, when the main wave of anti-government sentiment [in Belarus] was stirred up via social media among people incapable of critical thinking and absolutely convinced of their own correctness and the reliability of the information they were receiving. We all know the result.
Belarus — an island of freedom
Attempts to bring social media under control, or at least shield children from its influence, have been observed worldwide for the past few years.There is the case of the French judiciary and Pavel Durov, as well as the intentions of certain countries to ban social media for minors. So far, all of this has simply been shattered by reality. The fact is that banning someone from using social media while the internet itself exists is essentially impossible, although hindering its use is certainly feasible. The sweetness of the fruit, as they say, increases exponentially when forbidden. The West is still trying to solve the problem through prohibitions, albeit with no visible success.
Belarus, in contrast to the West, is a free country, so we have not followed the path of global bans.
However, we are perfectly aware of all the risks associated with social media. True, problems need to be solved. How exactly? Primarily through education. People need to be taught, preferably from a young age. And if a child develops critical thinking from childhood, then social media will certainly not harm them.
What, then, is to be done with those who cannot think rationally and are easily swayed? It is quite straightforward: such people are guided by the general informational background of the social bubble they inhabit. Therefore, we too need to be present on social media — to promote our own narratives, dismantle opposing ones, and create our own social advertising, both overt and covert, to prevent the general climate from tilting in the wrong direction.
A word or two about legislation. Certainly, social media, alas, is not free from entirely illegal content. Those extremists and terrorists who have fled abroad are also not prevented from writing whatever they want on their pages. The resources are, naturally, publicly accessible, but interacting with them is a criminal offence. This is precisely the case when you cannot even post a negative emoticon.
Citizens are free to use any social network, yet any freedom implies responsibility, so you still have to keep an eye on what and where you write.Do not assume that the internet is a zone free from legislation. You can be punished for any crimes committed there — for libel, insults, false reports of danger, and so forth. The absence of prohibitions is not an indulgence, it is merely a calculation based on the intelligence and common sense of our society. And so far, this calculation has justified itself.
By Yuri Terekh
