Understanding Social Media Manipulation
As we wrap up another year, it’s worth reflecting on how social media can subtly shape our perceptions and behaviors. In 2018, I realized how easily social media could influence us and decided it was time to rethink my online habits. If you’re concerned about the impact of social media on your thinking and well-being, here are four crucial reads that helped me understand the risks and how to manage them.
1. Don’t Trust Social Media Blindly
At the start of 2018, the revelations about Facebook’s role in the 2016 election made me question how much trust I should place in social media platforms. According to Dartmouth College scholars Denise Anthony and Luke Stark, it’s wise to be cautious with social media companies, particularly when it comes to how they handle our personal data. Their advice? Don’t trust them until they prove themselves trustworthy. I took this to heart by scaling back my Facebook usage, deleting some of my personal data, and being more selective about my interactions on the platform. While Facebook can still track my activity, limiting my engagement may reduce their ability to manipulate my experience.
2. Check Your Own Perceptions
To better understand online manipulation, I explored tools developed by Filippo Menczer and his team at Indiana University’s Observatory on Social Media. They created resources like “Fakey,” a game that helps users distinguish between reliable and unreliable news, and “Hoaxy,” which visually tracks how misinformation spreads across social networks. Another tool, “Botometer,” assesses the likelihood that a Twitter account is operated by a bot. Engaging with these tools has been eye-opening, helping me become more aware of biases and misinformation.
3. The Power of Bots
Bots can have a significant impact on public opinion, even if they make up only a small percentage of social media activity. MIT professor Tauhid Zaman’s research demonstrated that a few highly active bots can shift opinions dramatically. The real issue isn’t the number of bots, but how often they post and the influence they wield. Understanding this has highlighted the importance of being critical of the content we encounter and the sources behind it.
4. Engage with Real People
Spending less time on social media has freed up time for face-to-face interactions, which, according to Georgetown psychologist Kostadin Kushlev, are far more beneficial for our mental well-being. Kushlev’s research suggests that digital interactions can actually detract from the psychological benefits of in-person socializing. I’ve found that focusing on the people physically present in my life leads to a more fulfilling and enjoyable social experience than trying to juggle online interactions.
Final Thoughts
Avoiding social media manipulation and enhancing our well-being involves being mindful of how we use these platforms. By critically assessing the information we encounter, limiting our engagement to what feels authentic, and prioritizing real-life connections, we can navigate the digital landscape more effectively. As we move forward, it’s worth remembering that social media should serve us, not the other way around.