Will social media ever die?

You might be laughing – wondering what I’m on about. With recent calls to look into the role played by social media in our everyday lives, many have asked this question. Social media has come to dominate so much around us – news, personal events, dating, jobs, entertainment, literally everything.

Research shows we pick up our phones a startling number of times – some even suggest about once every ten minutes or so. As a society, we constantly get critiqued for interacting with strangers more online than we do offline.  

The real question of this separation anxiety when people don’t check their phones has been fuelled by the negative impact it’s all having on us. Turns out, we can’t focus well anymore – that phrase about goldfish is now true about us as humans.

There is an ongoing (and well placed, in my opinion) debate about social media’s impact on people’s sense of self and body image. The content we consume on social affects us more than we even know.

Social media can make or break a movie or an artist. Social media gets us closer to celebrities. Your social media usage can help you gain (or, well, lose) a job.

Fact-checking

The key to all these – you saw it coming – is the inherent potential of misinformation. There is so much information on social media that has had an impact on people’s perceptions of others, helped various elections, or affected someone’s work.

There has been so much anxiety about people consuming incorrect information that fact-checking has become a fundamentally political issue. Journalists, politicians, artists… they are all constantly reminded to check for facts before they post on their social channels.  

The most recent in question has been news networks dissecting US President Trump’s tweets. We have come to expect his claims to be analysed for accuracy.

As a result of this, Facebook found itself in yet another controversy. Mark Zuckerberg came under fire for not responding to calls to act on the American President’s harmful posts. These posts in question are being seen as divisive and inflammatory for political gain.

If you’ve been on Twitter at all recently, you may have seen Facebook employees urging Zuckerberg to respond. Some even quit their jobs at the organisation.

All of this has got many people to ask if social media’s death is imminent. There has been too much negativity about content on various platforms, and people being at risk for what they say or don’t say about an issue. In my opinion, I think people have to step back and focus on scrutiny, instead of trying to kill these channels completely.

The wins

While the criticisms are just, I would also urge everyone to remember what social media has helped us achieve. It has empowered communities to make themselves heard, launched new artistic talent, helped people make friends in other countries, helped new parents ask questions and for us all to learn from others’ experiences. In recent weeks, it’s highlighted the much-needed Black Lives Matter campaigns.

It is of course easier to feel overcome by the negative impact social media may have one us, but I also hope that people will consider moderation. 

In the interest of benefits that social media brings to us, I think we need moderation to keep people and communities safe and ensure that only correct information is shared with audiences.

Moderation is key

I personally do not believe that social media as a whole will die. Some channels might go over time and others will be born. I think it just needs a more thoughtful and considerate approach to make sure we can all benefit from its potential. Social media has facilitated so much positive action and I hope that we can focus on what it can help us achieve.

If we can moderate content and do it well, we could well regain people’s trust in what they see. Moderation would mean being impartial, factual, and responding to criticism responsibly.

Moderation would mean fact-checking without political agendas and keeping facts at the heart of every post. Moderation would mean ensuring legitimacy of content and verifying information that could affect a country’s political future.

I believe in moderation because it is the only answer. We cannot let go of all the good that social media can bring just because some users seem to use it to misguide their readers.

I believe in moderation because it will ensure people can benefit from the joys of social media: finding and engaging with communities for solidarity and support, helping others in times of need, or finding and learning new things based on one’s interests. It’s been 18 years working in the online communities business and I still gain much from social media that I don’t get anywhere else.

Accountability

You’d think I’d be bored of it by now, but actually, quite the opposite. I can’t wait to teach my kids responsible surfing and how to manage their personal social profiles safely (if they require it, of course).

Let’s be more accountable and responsible about what we post, and more critical of what needs to be moderated (even if it’s ourselves) so we can all be a big global happy hashtag family. There is a lot riding on social media for the future of our society and I truly hope that we work together to benefit from the joys of our digital selves.

If you need a hand with your social channels and what safe moderation guidelines entail, please get in touch and let’s talk.