Masullo et al. (2022) wrote about the need for social media to be beneficial to society. They acknowledge that since early, optimistic imaginings of the Internet as an “equalitarian utopia”, problems have become apparent (Masullo et al., 2022, p. 1). They suggested the development of a normative, guiding framework as a standard for how online spaces ought to be “beneficial for individuals and democratic society”(Masullo et al., 2022, p. 1). The authors likened their aim to the planning and set up of a public, offline space, and developed criteria by basing it on standards for doing so. It has to be safe and welcoming, with useful infrastructure. They believe that, if the place is well designed – physical or online – people will make better use of it.
The authors propose 14 areas, grouped into four categories – welcome, connect, understand, act – one leading to another. The areas included inviting participation, ensuring safety, cultivating belonging, building bridges, showing reliable information, and boosting community resilience. They offer “an inspiration of what would be normatively valuable in a democratic society, so that social media enrich human communication”(Masullo et al., 2022, p. 3).
Masullo et al. (2022) nominated algorithms as especially problematic to online communities, wanting them to “promote societal good”, as opposed to attracting the maximum possible amount of (positive or negative) attention (Masullo et al., 2022, p. 2). The material people see in their social media feeds needs to hold their interest, but many people are unconsciously attracted by the novelty of negative content. You only need to watch the programming of television news programs to know that this is true. The authors suggest the development of algorithms that use “timeliness, proximity, relevancy, and personal interests” to attract the attention of users.
My main concern with the proposal from Masullo et al. (2022) is that is perhaps too idealistic. In a social media landscape where Elon Musk can buy Twitter, and the power of Donald Trump can gain friction, will enough people care enough for these more altruistic concepts to work? Especially enough for it to gain dominance over the status quo. I personally agree with their goals but I just do not think that enough other people, especially those that benefit from current social media algorithms, will be socially minded enough for it to really succeed.
References
Masullo, G. M., Wilner, T., &, & Stroud, N. J. (2022). What social media could be: Normative frameworks for evaluating digital public spaces. Social Media + Society, 8(4). https://doi.org/10.1177/20563051221130447