The media ecology of how social media changed communication
One of the key insights of media ecology is that when we add a new technology to our culture, we don’t just have the same culture plus the new technology. Rather, the technology changes the culture. In other words, technological innovation can change our whole way of life, including how we relate and communicate with one another. Certainly, this insight applies to social media. Social media changed communication, but not always for the better.
Why do these technologies amplify so much online outrage and disinformation? In short, it’s because the design of social media incentivizes such content with increased ‘likes’ and ‘shares.’ So the problem with a lot of social media isn’t a few bad apples. It’s the very design of these platforms that makes them reward a disproportionate amount of toxic content.
Fortunately, there’s growing awareness of this problem, and some thoughtful documentaries and news reports have shed much-needed light on it.
Four highly recommended programs showing how social media changed communication
For anyone interested in better understanding how social media changed communication by amplifying online outrage and disinformation, here are four programs—two documentaries and two news reports—that I highly recommend. If you haven’t seen them yet, I included the links to these four programs below.
The Social Dilemma
If you see any one documentary about social media, watch The Social Dilemma, available on Netflix. The film goes into the nuts and bolts of how social media platforms work and what they’re designed to do. The same platforms that ostensibly connect us to one another happen to do so by distracting us, monetizing our private data, manipulating our behavior, and polarizing our population, often via extreme and sometimes dangerous content.
In this way, The Social Dilemma cogently explains why social media can amplify so much online outrage and disinformation. It also shows how these platforms may negatively affect our mental health and overall social well-being. If you see any single documentary about social media, The Social Dilemma would definitely be my top recommendation.
TikTok, Boom
Now, of all the social media platforms out there, TikTok is perhaps the most addictive. It also may be the most dangerous form of social media when it comes to our privacy and security. Even the FBI has testified that TikTok is an immediate national security threat to our population at present.
If you’d like to more thoroughly understand why, check out TikTok, Boom, a documentary on PBS that explains the rise of the most addicting form of social media today, particularly among Gen Z (a.k.a. iGen).
This documentary is a must-see for parents, teachers, or anyone seeking to better ascertain how TikTok has practically hooked and exploited an entire generation.
A Thousand Cuts
A Thousand Cuts, a news report by Frontline on PBS, follows world-renowned journalist Maria Ressa in the Philippines. There, Ressa has become a target of President Rodrigo Duterte, who rose to the highest office in his country by marketing himself aggressively on social media.
Now, why should anyone outside of the Philippines pay attention to what’s happening in the Philippines? As A Thousand Cuts reveals, the Philippines is the country whose people spend the most time on the Internet, especially on social media. In fact, in the Philippines, social media is practically synonymous with the Internet. Consequently, it’s a place where online outrage and disinformation spread like wildfire.
When outrageous, erroneous content continues to get amplified on social media, it eventually wreaks havoc on the rest of society, including democratic institutions and news organizations. To date, the Philippines may illustrate one of the worst-case scenarios of social media’s effect on free speech and truth.
In this regard, what has happened in the Philippines holds somber lessons for the rest of the world. We desperately need to reform and regulate social media before it’s too late.
Social media and political polarization in America
If you’re short on time, Social media and political polarization in America is a succinct news report on 60 Minutes. It shows the clear link between social media and political polarization, from partisan anger to ideological extremism.
Even if you aren’t on social media, this report demonstrates how the plethora of online outrage and disinformation on these platforms can easily affect us all. For this reason, social media reform needs to be a top priority for our society.
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