From Connection to Division: The Polarisation Found in Social Media

Social media was once hailed as a beacon of hope. It was a platform that would bring people together, connect them, and foster a sense of community. However, as time passed, we realised that social media has done the?opposite - it has polarised us. Let's take a look into how this has happened.

The hope of social media

The original point of social media was to keep us all connected to each other, where ever we are in the world. It was supposed to be a place where people could find old friends and family, share their stories, and create a sense of community. The first year on Facebook did this for everybody so well. You could post a pic, tag your friends and say happy birthday. Perhaps even sneak in a poke every so often. Twitter and Instagram were all created with similar goals in mind. However, as these platforms became more popular, something strange began to happen. Instead of bringing us together, social media began to polarise us.

Polarisation

The world is more polarised today than it has ever been. People are divided over everything from politics and religion to social issues such as climate change and human rights. When people got wind of being able to post their stronger opinions to an engaged audience, this polarisation became so severe that many people on opposite sides of an issue could no longer have civil conversations with each other. My former employer 爱德曼 focused their 2023 Trust Barometer on how we navigate in a polarised world.

Algorithms

So how did this happen? How did social media turn from a tool for bringing people together into a tool for driving them apart? It won't come as a surprise to anyone, but the answer is simple: algorithms. The value of social media is driven by engagement. Social media platforms use algorithms to show users content that they are most likely to engage with. This means that if a user engages with content that supports a particular point of view, the platform will show them more content that supports that point of view. Over time, this leads to an echo chamber, where users only see content that reinforces their existing beliefs. We know this by now. The app that seems to be challenging this somewhat is #TikTok. However, they have their own issues with privacy.

What are the effects?

The polarisation caused by social media is not something that can be easily undone. The damage is now permanent. People are so entrenched in their beliefs that they no longer seem open to other points of view. This has led to a situation where people are no longer willing to listen to each other, and compromise has become extremely difficult.

But is it really too late to undo the damage caused by social media? Is there anything we can do to bring people back together? The answer is yes, there is. However, it will take a concerted effort from all of us. We need to start by recognising that social media is not a reflection of the real world. We need to recognise that the people we interact with on social media are not representative of the world at large.

What do we do from here?

We also need to take responsibility for our own behaviour on social media. We need to stop only engaging with content that reinforces our existing beliefs and start thinking about engaging with content that challenges us. Engagement also means listening or watching, not just commenting or liking. We need to be willing to listen to other points of view and be open to the possibility that we might be wrong.

The ambition of tayp is to make it easier for people to listen to each other. However, not just for harder topics, but definitely the easier ones too. The world is more polarised today than it has ever been, and we don't have time to take engage with everything. In the age we're in, social media being planned around your time is vital. Audio apps have missed a trick on this one. It's not new, unique or revolutionary. It's simple and to the point. Sign up to the waitlist on tayp.app to be among the first to try the app.

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