Has social media killed a lot of critical thinking and civic awareness?

[Formerly Black Trash]

So many ppl to listen to, so easy to pass disinformation

Plus poor school systems, and it feels like the average American is dumber

I was wondering if we would ever have a revolution over here then I read about the Black Liberation Army, and then went oop, we already had it and thr government won

I can't imagine big movements happening again that the government is afraid of, that's not Republican

 

[re'up]

It has taken a toll, for sure, on the ability to process and understand information.

The way I used the internet around 1999-2003 as a young kid, was totally different than people now, even adults.

which not saying that it should have stayed the same, or I am so brilliant, no I was just born at a certain period in time. The internet was to learn, and to access things like porn, music, movies, community. but I remember READING and reading on places like SOHH about hip hop, album reviews, histories of artists. I used to read fukking rap lyrics on OHHLA, to find songs. Read movie reviews. Read about the world. Read about Puff and Shyne's trial. it was entertaining, but it wasn't just scrolling through memes and pictures.

 

[num123]

It is crazy to think that there was more critical thinking and civic awareness before social media. Misinformation, lack of participation and concern of the political process was always an issue, it is just easier to spread it.

 

[Formerly Black Trash]

It is crazy to think that there was more critical thinking and civic awareness before social media. Misinformation, lack of participation and concern of the political process was always an issue, it is just easier to spread it.

It's insane to think otherwise

 

[B86]

Yes and I don't think it's even debatable.

 

[re'up]

Part of it is just that the tech people are using is so much different. It's not that people got dumber, it's that they were exposed to extremely powerful and addictive technology. That was made NOT to improve anything, but to engage people, and capture that engagement. and hold it for as long as possible.

Even me, like 10 years ago, didn't really get it. I thought people were just dumb. Couldn't see the line, (or if I saw a line it was that they were all dumb) between drug cartel members, politicans, the ditzy girls I know, my best friends, the connection wasn't their intelligence, it was that they were hooked on an addictive technology. Because I had never used the technology myself, no social media, and I only have one APP on my phone, Lyft.

but what I came to realize was how intense that technology is, and how easy it is to become hooked on it.

 

[Formerly Black Trash]

Part of it is just that the tech people are using is so much different. It's not that people got dumber, it's that they were exposed to extremely powerful and addictive technology. That was made NOT to improve anything, but to engage people, and capture that engagement. and hold it for as long as possible.

Even me, like 10 years ago, didn't really get it. I thought people were dumb. Because I had never used the technlogy myself, no social media, and I only have one APP on my phone, Lyft.

but what I came to realize was how intense that technology is, and how easy it is to become hooked on it.

For sure

 

[Makavalli]

It had to be the goal of it because watching it happen in real time is scary. The amount of people that can barely read or comprehend what they are reading and the spread of misinformation is like the salem witch trial days. U can get crucified on social media so fast before the facts even come out. Thats why influencers are so valuable now to big business cause they got a cult of millions willing to follow what they say

 

[Pazzy]

Its really people overrelying on technology thats the problem. The powers that be made it that way so that they can use tech to watch and monitor everybody from a centralized point. So they made almost everything accessible through the web via these phones and gadgets so you have to use it.

 

[Buddy]

shyts been blissful!

 

[re'up]

Not as much in the last 5 years, but for awhile I would look at people's instagrams, through google. People didn't even realize you could do this, but you search the same, find the ig and go. Like friends of mine, people I went to school with, or oppo research lol or girls I knew, whatever, and even with that kind of filter, you can't see everything, you can't follow people, you can't respond, or post,

it's like the child safety version of social media, but it was extremely addicting.

 

[Kasgoinjail]

Social media has imo created a type of centralisation of thought and consciousness

From the design of the fonts to the app page layouts everything works together to create a bubble of 'think'
Literally a big thought bubble

Inside this bubble are many app users that begin to look TO that bubble for answers or ways to process information
Instead of engaging as an individual component
It's kinda like how street gangs were created to bring an order and instead just came about belonging.

It's a more sophisticated way of joining a street gang

 

[Seoul Gleou]

Short answer: Yes

Long answer: HELL YES

 

[num123]

It's insane to think otherwise

What i am saying is that it is crazy to think we are in some different world in comparison to the past. I am 39 and have dealt with low information voters, "non political" people and just general idiots for at least since 1999 when i started to pay attention to politics and people in general. A lack of social media did not make everyone somehow "smarter".

People have always been dumb, short sighted, ignorant, easily misled and mislead. This is not some new phenomena, it is just easier to see with social media. You have to accept that is how it was, how it is and how it will be.

 

[re'up]

Social media has imo created a type of centralisation of thought and consciousness

From the design of the fonts to the app page layouts everything works together to create a bubble of 'think'
Literally a big thought bubble

Inside this bubble are many app users that begin to look TO that bubble for answers or ways to process information
Instead of engaging as an individual component
It's kinda like how street gangs were created to bring an order and instead just came about belonging.

It's a more sophisticated way of joining a street gang

Very insightful. Part of this is the idea that now EVERYTHING is refracted through how it would look on social media. People base their actions on what it would look like as seen through the eyes of others on social media. People form a value system around this. People look to social media for words and systems to process their lives. That's why slang and things like that can travel so rapidly and pervasively.