Pandora's Social Media Digital Box, Caution: Algorithms Are Inside

Hi, I’m Rick Barron, your host, and welcome to That’s Life, I Swear

As Shakespeare said in Macbeth, Act 4, Scene 1, By the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes

Is social media as bad, or sinister as what we read and hear about lately online and the news outlets? Has the original purpose of social media gone astray? 

Let's jump into this.

Despite the ongoing breaking news covering the misuse of information and the public's relatively negative sentiments about aspects of social media, it's hard for people to put their mobile phones away, even for a minute. We find ourselves fixated on the content generated via algorithms, our digital footsteps on Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, and the like. 

Courtesy: Pew Research

We have become social media addicts where we mainline any content, whether it's genuine or not. We're so enamored with the various platform channels that we unknowingly have our eyeballs glued to our mobile phones for hours. 

The moment some of us get up, the first item we grab is our mobile and start scrolling on our digital screens, checking our accounts to take inventory of the number of likes, comments, shares, followers [or lack thereof], and more.

Has our addiction to social media become the new digital cigarette for our times?

I remember back in the early nineties when the internet started taking flight. Like everyone else, I was excited with the potential of what this new means of communication would bring to the masses, 24x7. 

Little did I know that the speed at which the internet would grow, that various start-up companies would spring up using the internet's technical attributes in ways we never thought possible or even imagined. 

Think algorithms.

So, what exactly are algorithms? They sort posts in a users' feed based on relevancy instead of publish time. Social networks prioritize which content a user sees in their feed first by the likelihood that they'll want to see it.

Algorithms determine which content to deliver to you based on your behavior. So, bear that thought in mind, based on your behavior. Think self-inflecting.

Not to pick on anyone, but let's use YouTube as an example. Maximizing watch time is the whole point of YouTube's algorithms, and this encourages video creators to fight for attention in any way possible. 

Algorithms can reinforce the same points of view over and over again. But, again, we come back to the premise, it’s based on your behavior. Depending on where you click with your mouse, you get fed recommendations based on you and what other people like yourself are watching. 

It's the proverbial rabbit hole trapping you to go further and follow the endless trail of categories, hashtags, keywords, and other recommended content.

As companies like Google, Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, YouTube and others studied their analytic data numbers, they also learned the patterns of human nature. For example, what drew the most visits, likes, dislikes, downloads, and followers for users as they clicked their way across the internet environment? 

Of course, all these algorithms' magic helps what is most important to the social media companies, the bottom line.  

Who can blame them for wanting to keep their users engaged such that they stay on their platform for hours on end? 

With social media companies raking in high revenues and profits via advertisers wanting to ride this rocket, rather than adjust the technology for the better and impact the bottom line, they doubled down in their efforts to keep you coming back to their sites. They have you, and you are hooked.

In October of 2021, we heard from a whistleblower named Frances Haugen, who gave testimony to Congress that brought to light what one company was doing in the spirit of algorithms. Unfortunately, that company was Facebook, where Miss Haugen worked from 2019 to 2021.  

Courtesy: Financial Times

Miss Haugen's testimony about Facebook was not completely surprising to those who had their suspicions. Facebook knew its products, Instagram, Messenger, and WhatsApp, could be deeply harmful to people and, wait for it, even to democracy. Yet, somewhere I hear Trump snickering.

Before she presented her testimony to Congress, Miss Haugen was on the CBS show '60 Minutes', sharing her insights stemming from thousands of pages of internal research and communications that she provided the Securities and Exchange Commission. 

As the interview unfolded on '60 Minutes', Miss Haugen called out "systemic" problems with the platform's ranking algorithm that led to the amplification of, as she called it, "anger content" and divisiveness. The irony of this disclosure was that Facebook itself discovered the same findings. 

Facebook's mission has been to connect people all around the world. A worthy goal. Miss Haugen’s testimony then hit a key point. 'When you have a system that can be hacked with anger, it's easier to provoke people into anger.' 

That said, what does a publisher think when they hear this statement? Hmmm, if I can feed the channels with more hated-type dialogue and divisive content that causes strong disagreement between opposing groups [distorted as it may be], my cash register will ring! 

Miss Haugen went so far as to say that "Facebook has set up a system of incentives that pulls people apart." A pretty strong statement.

I've always been fascinated with suspense about what may have happened or happened for a reason. Those thoughts come to mind because right after Miss. Haugen's '60 Minute' interview and before her testimony to Congress, Facebook had an unprecedented outage for over five to six hours. The impact was absorbed by WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, and other Facebook-related units, worldwide.

Coincidence? No, it couldn't be.

Months later, Facebook assured Congress they would and were taking steps to improve their site with new features to keep the platform safe for teenagers. Sometimes I wonder if they would've taken such measures if not for whistleblowers and other bad press clippings. Of course, why do I doubt their sincerity? 

Instagram rolled out parental control features for its app in March of 2022. For the first time I may add. The purpose for the updates to make its site safer for teenagers. Funny. If you're admitting to making your site safer for teenagers, why wasn't that apparent at the beginning of building your business plan? 

I have a problem with Instagram's features because it's not automatic. To accept the various safety features, one has to opt-in [turn on]. It's equivalent to saying if you want to make sure your brakes work when you step on them, please opt-in. Am I missing something here?

Now, while the intent of new safety features is meaningful, having the user [in this case, teenagers] decide to opt-in on a feature defeats the purpose. 

Instagram not taking this responsibility, or lack thereof, shoves the burden from the platform to yours truly, the parent. The one feature Instagram shared that I found somewhat hilarious was the 'take-a-break' alert to notify teenagers when they've been on Instagram for a designated period of time.

When was the last time you told a teenager that staying online for hours was terrible for them and that taking a break was in their best interest? I love to know the child psychologist Facebook, and Instagram collaborated with on this theory.

We find ourselves with various social media companies not wanting to clean up our act that we can't wait to get to the next iteration of social media. Enter the Metaverse.

Courtesy: California Business Journal

Meta what? 

The metaverse is the next leap forward. First, we had mobile phones, email, the internet, and so on. This next generation of the online experience is a new venue to build a virtual universe that would alter how we interact with technology. The metaverse is seen as a massive opportunity for business and financial sectors within the tech industry.

The opportunities the metaverse presents will expand into social media and technology companies. Devices that we have today and coming will come about like virtual reality headsets, digital glasses, smartphones, and other devices that will allow users access to 3-D virtual or augmented reality environments.

The new hardware and software that will come about with the metaverse will enhance the extensions where people can work, interact with others, conduct business, visit remote locations, and access educational opportunities. 

Of course, this new digital landscape is still on the whiteboards at many tech companies. As time progresses, we will hopefully get a more defined definition of the what, the why, and the how.

I'm struggling with this new technology because we've not dealt with the shortcomings of social media currently, and now we're adding another twist to it. The metaverse has other facets that allows one to be represented by one or more avatars that can appear across platforms. Avatars, seriously. So, let's hide our identity and be friends or followers?

Today we live in a world where conspiracy theories are becoming the norm. Everything is fake news; reality and alternative realities get mixed into one. So now we combine the metaverse into the current social media landscape as if all sins are forgiven thus, let's give this new gig a shot and see what happens.

I look at this upcoming technology wave with hesitancy regardless of its intentions. I'm all for taking new leaps into the digital world, but I want to see those leaps be of true benefit for the user and not to fill the cash register of a start-up by ignoring the norms of meaningful use of algorithms. 

So, what lessons can we learn from here? What's the takeaway from this story I just walked you through?
 
Lately, Facebook has been the lightning rod for bad press. They've been dinged about how they utilize algorithms to manipulate what users read and see in the interest of keeping the money train running. Of course, other companies bear responsibility as well, such as Twitter, YouTube, TikTok; it's a long list. 

The launch of social media companies started back in the early 2000s. Since that time, we've witnessed rapid changes in this social world. But unfortunately, changes have happened so fast that we've grown numb to its ever-changing landscape.  

Social media is a digital graffiti wonderland with no guardrails.   

While social media started as a great tool to connect with people, its original intent slowly took us in directions that some use as a means for one purpose and one purpose only, tearing us apart for selfish and unexplainable reasons. 

In addition, due to the lack of regulations and inability to moderate such a large amount of content, things like cyberbullying, harassment, and revenge content go unchecked, thus hurting the well-being of all who come across it.  

I get annoyed when I hear some social media companies use the pathetic excuse of commitment to nuanced policymaking that balances freedom of speech with safety.

Congress has held numerous televised meetings with the various social media giants and listened to their well-rehearsed and structured speeches that protecting their users is top of mind, and want to provide them with a great experience on their platforms. Great experience? Great marketing spin.

Our political members have held too many meetings with nothing to show for it in terms of corrective action. During various deliberations with Congress, encouraging, even welcoming the government to insert government regulations to help deal with the current wave of misinformation came from Facebook itself. 

It almost sounds like a dare to Congress to have them assist social media companies in tackling cyberbullying tactics that some teens inflict on one another, addictive use, trolling, fake news, and privacy abuse. 

If these companies are calling out these abuses of social media, why are they not taking the responsibility to be proactive to deal with it?  

Of course, let the government intervene and make it another example of interference from big brother. Nice tactic. 

Social Media has opened Pandora's digital box. So why is it hard to insert regulations? It's become apparent that society has its hands up in unison to do it. Both Democrats and Republicans alike are on board. So, where is the problem? What's the holdup?

Are we stuck on the 'what' to regulate? Should the public know how social media algorithms collect data on you? Should we expect reports from these companies on what data they collect that reveals our likes and dislikes? 

Perhaps the biggest buzzkill is the get out of jail free card for social media, the First Amendment.

The First Amendment right to free speech applies to everyone, even social media companies. Unfortunately, no sooner do you try to discuss regulations to help curtail the various dark sides to social media that implement government speech regulations than you run into the First Amendment's stone wall.

Look, I see social media as an excellent channel for us to share and exchange dialogue. We can use social media responsibly and thoughtfully to our advantage. Let it enhance our sense of happiness and improve our lives to understand better being connected. But let's also be alert to its negative impact. 

We need to stop assuming that some social media companies are a "trusted" source, and they genuinely have our well-being as top of mind. Instead, push back and insist on transparency in collecting, providing, and sharing our data. Make them understand that they are in fierce competition to keep us not only coming back but that we come back knowing they have earned our trust. 

They need us more than we need them. This won't happen overnight, nor will it be easy. However, it's our only option for being heard.

Well, there you go. That’s life, I swear.

For further information regarding the material covered in this episode, I invite you to visit my website that you can find on either Apple Podcasts or Google Podcasts, for show notes calling out key pieces of content mentioned, and the episode transcript.

As always, I thank you for listening. 

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