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At one time, social media seemed like the panacea for what was ailing society. Platforms like Facebook promised to connect us with people around the world. Twitter made it possible to participate in the political process and become more proactive. And YouTube meant that you could get up-to-date on just about any topic or issue simply by watching a quick video.
But we’ve come a long way in the past decade. Increasingly, people are much more fearful about the potential impact of social media on society. Beyond just the obvious – such as the risk of misinformation being spread online, or the potential for a much more polarized debate taking place online – there are the less-obvious impacts. These include the very real risk that social media could be manipulated and abused by those in power (or those seeking power) for their own nefarious purposes.
The latest Pew Research data
To get an idea of these changing perceptions of social media, consider the latest data from Pew Research. People around the world in 19 different nations were asked a version of this very simple question: Is social media a good thing for democracy? On an aggregate basis, only 57% of people said it was a good thing. And, somewhat surprisingly, America actually ranked last among all nations in its perception of social media. Right now, only 34% of Americans say social media is a good thing for democracy.
There are several different reasons for this relatively poor performance of social media. For example, 84% said it was responsible for spreading false information and rumors. Meanwhile, nearly two-thirds (65%) said it made society more divided in their political opinions. And nearly half (44%) said that it made having civil online discussions much more difficult. Based on your own personal experiences with social media, you would probably agree, right?
The social media news loop
One problem, quite frankly, is that Americans are increasingly reliant on social media for their news. Right now, 50% of people within the U.S. say that they get their news “often” or “sometimes” from social media. The most popular platforms appear to be Facebook and X, but there are plenty of people who seem to be getting their news from the likes of Instagram, TikTok and even Reddit.
That presents a very real problem, since “the news” is no longer “the news.” It’s more like an ongoing narrative, something that can be molded and shaped by those active on social media. Thus, it’s increasingly the case that people are no longer arguing over their interpretations of the facts – they are arguing over the facts themselves. If you don’t want to accept something as true, all you have to do is call it “fake news.” Just imagine doing that a decade ago, when “the news” really was “the news.” It was authoritative, it was real (not fake), and it was something that you did not question.
The problem of Western democracies
Interestingly, the Pew Research data found much the same trend in just about every major Western democracy. So it’s not just an American phenomenon. It’s more like a problem of Western democracies. In France, for example, only 43% of people believe that social media is good for society. In the Netherlands, only 44% of people have a favorable view of social media. And even in Canada – a country famous for being “nice” – only 49% of people now view social media favorably.
This can mean only one of two things: (1) democracy really is fragile, and we are at risk of losing it forever if we continue on the same social media path or (2) we’re finally waking up to the reality around us, and starting to question things like we never have before in American history, thanks to social media. I’ll leave it up to you to determine the right answer. But both answers have very profound consequences.
The good news is that, by and large, people around the world still view social media favorably, by a 57% to 43% margin. Singapore, of all places, leads the way with a stunning 76% approval rate for social media. So maybe all of the negativity about social media in America is just a short-term blip on the radar screen. For our sake, and for the sake of our children, let’s hope that’s the case.
