Title: How Social Media Leads to Polarization: An Analysis Based on “The Social Dilemma” – GW Chronicle of the Yawp
Headings: How Social Media Leads to Polarization: An Analysis Based on “The Social Dilemma”
How Social Media Leads to Polarization: An Analysis Based on “The Social Dilemma”
Content: How Social Media Leads to Polarization: An Analysis Based on “The Social Dilemma” – GW Chronicle of the Yawp
Opinion December 8, 2020
December 11, 2020
How Social Media Leads to Polarization: An Analysis Based on “The Social Dilemma”
Danielle Chan, Newsletter Editor
After watching Jeff Orlowski’s docudrama, The Social Dilemma, the wheels in my brain began to turn when noticing several factors that, having been highlighted in the film, could lead to severe consequences if unnoticed. The Social Dilemma explored the damage social media could give rise to society, bringing in technological experts and creators of media applications to speak with alarm and warning towards what they had created. It has been acknowledged that social media platforms, such as Instagram or Facebook, track our likes and search history. Google, a search engine that dominates 87% of market share as of July 2020, collects our browser history and uses the data when presenting advertisements and suggestions to viewers. While some may propose that social media has had its positive effects – reuniting lost loved ones, playing the bridge between partners despite long distances, and convenience across all aspects – these platforms also play key influencers in the polarization across social, cultural, and political beliefs. Polarization, by definition, is the “ division into two sharply distinct opposites .” When we like photos or posts, we indicate to social media algorithms that we have taken an interest or liking towards the content displayed. When we enter searches into search engines, we show the algorithms that we are “looking” for a certain something.