The algorithm turns the rules of society upside down. Historically, real-world communities have practiced civility toward strangers and valued personal modesty. If someone was impolite, they were rebuked or ignored—not given a megaphone. But instead of correcting prejudices, social media divides the public into self-reinforcing silos. In 2017, for instance, Facebook algorithms may have fueled a genocide in Myanmar by whipping up hatred against the Rohingya. The far-right German party, AfD, known for its Nazi slogans and trivializing the Holocaust, gained prominence thanks to short videos on TikTok.
No generation has been lonelier, more anxious, or more unhappy than the young people who’ve grown up using social media. Governments in Europe and elsewhere have taken action by closing social media membership to adolescents. Efforts to make social media safer for young people are afoot in the United States too, and for the sake of our society, we should give these efforts our full support.
—NIGEL BARBER
Evolutionary psychologist, author of Doomsday Decoded