I am 25 years old and I fear I will have to drag the burden of my digital profiles until I die. I don’t think I’m the only one experiencing this. I fear that we continue to fatten these Californian giants, and that in indifference, we all bear the brunt of it collectively.
Admittedly, social networks, especially Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, have considerably broadened the possibilities of communication and mobilization of individuals throughout the world. Interacting with others has never been so easy, and everyone is now wondering how we could manage without these technologies. But are we really willing to give up our independence and leave this power over our lives in the hands of a few giants for decades to come?
Individually, people compare their lives with the often idealized lives of others on social media. Social networks radicalize, remove the normal civic filter present in any usual conservation. They become the refuge of discomfort and barking. The tool thus becomes a burden to bear, an avatar to maintain. An abyss at the bottom of which hundreds of thousands of hours will probably be lost after a lifetime of use to the benefit of giants who do not even belong to our economy.
All this we already know, and yet there is nothing to suggest that we will deviate from the path that has been traced by the giants of the Web.
However, the damage to the life of our nation, whether in terms of our democracy, our economy or our press, is in my opinion even more worrying and deserves our attention.
The influence of social networks on our democratic culture is dramatic. They facilitate polarization by allowing everyone to surround themselves with people who share the same opinions, while reinforcing extreme opinions and reducing divergent perspectives. Just look at how the networks facilitate the spread of fake news, hate speech and misinformation. These also widened our blinders. They have given voice to more people, yes, but the increase in our connectivity has consequences on access to information and on the importance attributed to our local communities.
Social networks also have consequences for the national media by offering them unfair competition. Businesses are increasingly dependent on them to reach their target audiences, which is having a negative impact on traditional media that rely on ads to fund their content. A bit like the big supermarkets have since competed with and replaced many small local shops. Social networks influence media content by encouraging the publication of sensationalist news and imposing a presence on their own platforms.
So, it’s my turn to go into sensationalism to call us all to reflection: what are we waiting for to close social networks?