Even 60-plus years ago, Canadian economist and media expert Marshall McLuhan’s commentary about that state of our communication platforms is still very much applicable today in 2018.
In his article “Social media is keeping us stuck in the moment,” Clive Thompson describes the “reverse chronological design” (or “reverse chron” for short) feature that apps like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram use to keep users logged in. He argues that while Internet trolls and cyberbullying, decreased inclination towards face-to-face interaction, and increased narcissism (we have the selfie partly to thank for that), Thompson believes that these negative outcomes of social media are exaggerated. He writes, “If you asked me what the true danger about social media is, I’d say it’s much more subtle. It’s the problem of time -- and becoming stuck in the present.” Thompson argues that the reverse chron trend didn’t necessarily begin with Facebook or Twitter, but with the advent of newspapers. Since their beginning, newspapers have been present-oriented, beckoning readers to keep buying the latest editions as new news developments unfolded. This need for the new, gives society “an obsession with the immediate...criticism of the moment at the moment,” Marshall McLuhan says, quoting author Henry James. Clive Thompson asserts that technology is not necessarily shaping social media users to be more narcissistic than we already were, but I disagree. I believe that the immediacy of social media, compounded with our desire for the latest and newest updates, is shaping us to believe that our friends or followers care more about our photos and words than they probably do. Travel is one of my favorite activities, but I can often get so caught up in documenting each new sight and experience that I realize I’m seeing the world through the lens of my iPhone rather than my own eyes. When I go out of town, I’ll post a series of photos from my latest trip, forgetting that no one probably cares all that much about where I am and what I’m doing at a certain point in time. Except for my mom, perhaps. I do agree, however, with Thompson’s proposed solution to controlling our obsession with reverse chron: “On one level, it’s a personal battle; seizing back control of our own attention: We have to learn to enjoy what’s powerful and delightful about online tools, but to resist their casino-like seductions.” This reverse chron phenomenon can be so powerful that we may often feel compelled to stay logged in, logged into the present, lest we miss an important update or flattering comments under our pictures/posts. So much to the point that we equate the validation of a “like” or retweet with inherent truths about ourselves. In an interview with The Washington Post, former Facebook vice president Chamath Palihapitiya discusses the dangers of social media users becoming “programmed” by the Internet giant: “We curate our lives around this perceived sense of perfection, because we get rewarded in these short-term signals...And instead, what it is is fake, brittle popularity that’s short-term and leaves you even more, admit it, vacant and empty before you did it. Think about that compounded by 2 billion people.” It’s a bit frightening to think that Facebook’s 2 million users (and growing), as well as the tech engineers behind the app, have hands in what early Facebook investor Sean Parker described as “exploiting a vulnerability in human psychology.” The tech brains running Facebook have the skills and know-how to implement data collection and reverse chron technology to keep users coming back, but Facebook users are the ones providing up-to-the-second content that draws their fellow users to click the blue and white Facebook logo. In my opinion, there isn’t really a solution to the swath of problems Facebook has unleashed over the years, unless those profiting off the success of the social media platform are willing to trade their financial gain in order to somehow make Facebook less addictive for users. The solution, Palihapitiya says, lies with users. He says, “...your behaviors, you don’t realize it, but you are being programmed. It was unintentional, but now you gotta decide how much you’re willing to give up, how much of your intellectual independence.” Though there seems to be a significantly growing number of critics in Silicon Valley speaking out against Facebook’s ability to collect data and use its ‘dopamine-driven feedback loops’ to influence users, I don’t expect Mark Zuckerberg and company to step off the gas anytime soon. I suspect Facebook will continue hiring PR teams to generate more bland public statements about “making sure the right investments are made” in order to temporarily quell the critics.
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