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It’s hard to believe, but major social media platforms such as Facebook and X (formerly called Twitter) have been around for nearly 20 years. In that time period, they’ve undergone quite a transformation. The problem is that the more that they’ve focused on making money from advertising and becoming profitable businesses, the more they seem to be getting away from their core values.
In fact, it’s gotten to the point where it’s hard to escape the non-stop negative headlines about social media these days. Social media now seems to be the root cause of just about every mental health problem encountered by teens and young adults. And just about everyone thinks that social media platforms, by enabling misinformation and disinformation to run rampant, have exerted a negative impact on democracy and the political process.
UK protests: positive social media change in action
But it doesn’t have to be that way. Every now and then, you’ll run across a story about positive change in the community being brought about by social media, and you’ll remember back to the era nearly 20 years ago when social media promised to change the world for the better.
Take, for example, the recent protests that have been taking place in the UK. Many of the protests started as a negative, hate-filled backlash against immigrants, and have been a source of much hand-wringing in the Western world. If these protests can happen in places like London or Manchester, then couldn’t they happen in cities like New York, Philadelphia, and Boston?
And, to its credit, that’s where social media seems to be stepping up and doing its part. In the UK, Facebook became a place where communities could rally together to prevent these protests. Soon, there were “Refugees Welcome” signs everywhere, and visible signs of a return to normalcy. That type of spontaneous uprising is an example of the type of good that can happen from a viral campaign. That was what the original creators of these platforms had in mind when they talked about empowering everyday people to do good in the world.
Can social media return to its earlier values?
So which social media platform will be the first to return to its early roots? Arguably, Elon Musk’s X is the one social media platform that is trying the hardest to go back to the way things used to be with social media. You might not agree with Musk’s political stances or his support of former president Donald Trump, but you have to admire how often he really puts himself out there, trying to fix what he sees as the flaws of modern social media. For Musk, that means less censorship, and more freedom of speech.
Unfortunately, this same type of phenomenon does not appear to be happening with popular social media platforms such as TikTok. Granted, TikTok is probably dealing with a lot of other legal headaches right now, given all the attempts to ban it within the United States. But can you name any real social benefits of using TikTok? Even when it comes to opening up the political process to more diverse voices, TikTok falls woefully short of its goals. Simply giving beauty, fitness, and lifestyle influencers a lot of money for repeating officially-sanctioned political talking points in new and creative ways doesn’t seem like much of an improvement on the political process.
So, yes, this might sound retro, but it’s time for social media to return to its core values of two decades ago. That means less of a focus on making money, and more of a focus on empowering local communities. In short, social media should make it possible to be the change you want to see in the world.