Social media started off as a few small websites with small user bases. It has since grown and grown into the the staple of life it is today, with over 1 billion people connected online on platforms like Facebook. Social media has transformed into one of the most profitable markets in the advertising industry, and constantly provides new ways to communicate around the world. Given all of its capabilities to reach large populations, can social media be a threat?
Social media has created a whole new realm of danger, whether it be cyberbullying, propaganda, or fake news. One example of dangerous uses of social media has been ISIS’ social media recruitment efforts. Building off of the international connections of social media, ISIS has garnered a following that has resulted in terror attacks on cities thousands of miles away from the physical reach it would otherwise have. The terrorist group uses social media as a way to build its reputation of cruelty and brutality, publishing videos of executions, and boasting about their genocides of minority groups in their territory. According to a report made by the Quilliam Foundation in 2015, ISIS releases 38 new items a day. Obviously, these posts will reach a wide audience, and may even inspire some to carry out the agenda of ISIS. This may account for recent sporadic, unpredictable terrorist attacks. Of course, the vast majority of people exposed to the ideology will not follow it, but with a wider audience, more people will be influenced to accept similar ideologies.
Hackers and scammers also have a clear shot at a larger audience, and have started to implant viruses into ads and links. You may click a link to a “free gift” and next see that your card was just charged $400. With billions of Internet users looming in front of them as targets, many scammers have created convincing, malicious ads. But not just hackers use ads; in a recent outcry, social media sites have been forced to remove harmful political ads that contain misinformation. These ads feed people falsehoods to try and change popular opinions in elections and national decisions, and were present during the 2016 presidential campaign in the United States, as well as in several other prominent national elections and referendums worldwide.
Predictably, the anonymity that the internet provides has also empowered bullies to expand their reach. A wider audience now can express their views to each other, and through social media, a new way to express racism and discrimination has arisen. Negative views towards others based on superficial traits and falsehoods have become pervasive. Although moderators, users, and authorities try to remedy this, the problem still persists. Connectivity allows for a facilitated transport of opinions, both good and bad.
On the other hand, lots of good has come of social media as well. According to the Blackbaud Institute’s 2016 charitable giving report, online donations constituted 7.2 percent of all US-based fundraising. More and more, social media is also being used to help those that need it, ranging from as small as a club at school, to as big as entire nations struck by natural disasters. This connectivity gives us a chance to help not just locals, but anyone from anywhere in the world. It helps us help reach the goals we are passionate about such as literacy or clean water for places like Flint, still plagued by the toxicity caused by lead in its pipes and water. Social media can overcome geographical barriers and political barriers that prevent us from participating in helping a person or cause.
Social media, especially in the past couple of years, has also sparked social change. Just a few short months ago, the MeToo hashtag started building a movement to combat sexual harassment. As people came out with their traumatic experiences, more and more famous figures who perpetrated sexual assault fell. Social media movements have dethroned seemingly untouchable perpetrators through bringing outreach and awareness. With supporters from all over the world, these movements are growing in number and in prominence as a way to spread our opinions and beliefs.
Overall, social media, at its bare minimum, is merely a tool for people to use. Rather than the tool being the threat, it’s the wielder. Social media can be used for both good and bad, but in reality, it’s a representation of people: some are good, some are bad, and some fall into a gray area. We hear of horrible threats and words from people, but we also hear words of kindness and inspiration. Social media is still a neutral battleground, and like the Internet itself, has unthinkable potential; it’s up to the users to define it, whether it be a conduit of destruction, a carrier of compassion, or simply an open forum for discussion.