It’s not the social media, it’s human nature. It has always been this way, only social media/internet did it on an individual where it was previously more a group thing. Like TV before cable. Like radio before TV. Like newspapers before radio and like religion since its inception. As far as “creating bespoke realities” this is just the latest step on a journey started with storytelling…
Human beings are social reasoning machines. We like to feel like we’ve identified the causes and effects of things in the world around us and we want to share beliefs about these things with the people we are with. It is natural and inevitable that we would create technologies to enhance our abilities to socialize and exchange reasons. They only become a problem when they’re hijacked by a narrow slice of society that tries to create and amplify harmful social hierarchies (e.g. racism, misogyny, homophobia, transphobia, etc.) to entrench the harmful economic hierarchy they benefit from.
Basically, this image but with “media” instead of “computers”
Sure! And with internet the people we are with can be on different continents, all of us forming our bubbles of reality based on the information we are presented. Same as it ever was. The only difference is that before you shared your experience with the people you saw in the room, with internet you share it with the people you see on the screen. But since two people i the same room doesnt share the same experiences anymore, it becomes much easier to spot the differences in eachothers realities.
When influencers and algorithms can do away with capitalism, and create a bespoke democratic socialism for my reality, then go ahead and write that article.
Add comment