The internet has had a profound impact on our daily lives. It has become an essential service for business, education, and communications. Amazon has changed the way we shop. For many products, you do not need the traditional brick and mortar retail outlet. With a few mouse clicks you can have your product shipped to you in 48 hours or less without having to leave your home. (Although I still like to try on a pair of shoes before I buy them.) Students can use the internet to research term papers while the rest of society has a public library at our disposal on our laptops. You can communicate with anyone in the world with an internet connection via email and other social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. It is the social media tools that I have an issue with. While there are many positive features, I feel social media overall is a net negative on society.
Yes, you can quote many of the positive features of Facebook, Twitter and the like, but I can respond with the negative characteristics of social media. It has become a plethora of gambling sites, pornography, conspiracy theories, hate speech, and misinformation campaigns to further someone’s political agenda. It gives any whack job a soap box to stand on so he can spew his garbage to the world. Free speech advocates will defend someone’s right to express himself. However, when you have a right to do something, you also have an inherent responsibility as well. You cannot yell fire in a crowded theater, and you cannot instigate a riot with your writings. We hold the rights near and dear to our hearts, but we do not take on the responsibility that we should.
In many respects I view Twitter as high-tech writing on the bathroom wall. The bathroom wall can be cleaned but once something is online, it is there for good. Irreparable harm is done to someone’s reputation. Revenge porn is not an isolated incident following romantic break ups. The perpetrator gets “even” in his/her mind by using technology to satisfy an immature impulse.
Someone does not have to be ridiculed through social media for it to be harmful to society. Social media allows outright stupidity on its platforms. There are people that still believe the world is flat and we give these fools a sounding board. What harm is that doing? It lowers the bar immensely for common sense. Social media spreads huge amounts of misinformation regrding vaccines. Those holding a little knowledge try to make a connection between vaccines and autism even though the scientific evidence overwhelmingly shows that is not the case. Look at the recent outbreak of measles. This misinformation can lead to infants dying because mom read something that is simply not true.
Social media can also alter elections through misinformation campaigns. Photoshop and creative editing can taint a candidate’s position and now we have AI on the horizon to compound that problem. The result, a well-engineered social media campaign filled with lies and half truths can help determine who runs our country.
Now you might be accusing me of hypocrisy by using social media to criticize social media. It did not say it was all bad. I said the cons outweigh the pros resulting in a net negative for the world. I am trying to use it in a positive way by using scientific methods to generate profits without harming anyone. I wish you all good health, peace and prosperity.
To see how we generate profits, watch this YouTube video:
Regards,
Al