Empowered Or Overpowered – Thoughts On Social Media

A decade ago I was all about telling everyone how great social media is. Now I am advising cautiousness and teach a lot about media literacy. 

So what went wrong? Were our initial hopes too enthusiastic? 

To quote the author:

"And let’s hand it to them — Russia has used our social networks to sow discord like a marionettist wills a marionette. As one government official told me recently, “Putin’s surreptitious propaganda campaign has been one of the most successful in modern history.” All he needed, the official said, was social media. For the first time since I signed up for these platforms, I’m now in the camp of people wondering what the hell were we thinking?"

Indeed. 

But that's only one example. 

These days I wonder what we can do to get various startups and tech companies to not only think about how to make their tool/service serve itself but to take a more community-minded, bigger approach. So for example when we talk online it's not only about having more likes than others, but actually about having a meaningful debate.

I no longer feel empowered by technology the way I used to in the beginning of this social boom, but rather overpowered.