The social media academy #6 | Charles Dickens, social media and AI ??

It's the best of times, it's the worst of times. It's the age of wisdom, it's the age of foolishness. When I reread Charles Dickens his novel, I can't help to feel as if it was written just weeks ago.

However, this time around, I'm actually not re-reading the book like I did back in the good old days, you know the days before 1789. Instead I'm using A.I. to write a story here. But it was not A.I. that wrote the story. Sit tight.

I do think that there is a real connection between The Tale of Two Cities, artificial intelligence and social media. I'm gonna try and use some triad (and prompts) to see if I can make my point and tell you a bit more about how I believe that social media and A.I. should co-exist. All based on a novel written almost 200 years ago, when there was no social media and no A.I.

Let's see where I get.

The link between The Tale of Two Cities and social media.

In the book you can read how the power of communication and information influences public opinion and sparks social movements, as the novel shows how rumors, propaganda, and misinformation influences people’s attitudes and actions, both for good and for evil. The revolutionaries use pamphlets, songs, and symbols to spread their message and rally support, while the aristocrats use spies, letters, and trials to manipulate and oppress their enemies. Similarly, social media can be used as a tool for spreading awareness, education, and activism, or for spreading lies, hate, and violence. The way it's being used defines the force for good or the force for bad.

More synthesized both social media and the novel show that in its core information is unbiased and neutral, but that the publisher of the information holds a tremendous and almost unacceptable power over the perception and influence of that information. Where is Rupert Murdoch?

The link between The tale of Two Cities and Artificial intelligence

The novel explores the theme of revolution and its consequences for society and individuals as it portrays the impact of the French Revolution on the political, social, and cultural landscape of both England and France and on the revolutionists and the aristocrats. Furthermore it shows the effects of the revolution on the personal lives and relationships. It shows the causes and motives of the revolution, as well as its benefits and costs. Similarly, A.I. can be understood as a revolutionary force that can transform various aspects of society and individuals. It can bring about positive changes such as innovation, efficiency, or empowerment, or negative changes such as disruption, inequality, or oppression. ?Artificial intelligence can also raise questions about its origins and purposes, as well as its advantages and disadvantages.

In general both A.I. and the novel show the (dys)functional causes and effects of something new and unknown and demonstrate the impact on a wide array of stakeholders.

What the book teaches us on how to use A.I. for social media

The book shows how communication and information can be manipulated, distorted, or falsified, either intentionally or unintentionally. Similarly, artificial intelligence can enhance or impair communication and information on social media, depending on the purpose and the outcome.

For me this basically covers how I think about using A.I. on social media. It's not about replacing or dislocating humans. It's not about better or worse times. And it certainly isn't about wisdom or foolishness.

It's about enhancing people in making social media a better and a more interesting place to share ideas and build rapport.

Artificial Intelligence can be used to spark creativity (like trying to find the link between social and a book that was written almost 200 years ago), to make people come up with interesting ideas for posts and to spark discussions that might not happen if humans weren't creatively enhanced with some tech.