The Dilemma of Social Media
Social media has already become part of ourselves, especially for younger generation. However, some people still don’t realize that social media actually doesn’t work like they think it does.
Everyday we are exposed to huge amount of information in the social media. Wide variety of content from entertainment to education has made people can literally find anything on social media. If you’re looking for tech review, you can search for Jerryrigeverything or Mrwhosetheboss. If you’re wondering how science works in real life, you can go to Vsauce or Kurzgesagt. Or even if you’re bored, you can just scroll forever and might actually found something that pique your interest.
However, it’s actually much more complicated than you think.
Social media are driven by algorithm, a set of rules to be followed by social media platform. And yet every social media has it’s own algorithm that made one of them differs from the others. But there is one common thing that every social media has, it always gonna lead you to a phenomenon called echo chamber.
Echo chamber is an environment in which a person encounters only beliefs or opinions that coincide with their own, so that their existing views are reinforced and every other alternative ideas are not considered, or even completely lost at all. In other words, echo chamber is actually narrowing our point of view.
How does it work? Well, in a nutshell, social media algorithm are designed to recommend you the type of content that you are probably going to like. This can be done by using your past activities, which then can be analyzed to see what content you liked the most, or it just give you random content and see what are you going to like and spend time the most.
This may sound creepy because it could actually make social media platform being accused for privacy breach. However, every social media has already asked you for your consent in the beginning, when you created your account. And all they need is your gentle push on the check button so that you can’t sue them forever.
But actually you shouldn’t worry too much about this. Although it might be bugging you knowing that an unknown entity is watching you, algorithm is made in order to increase the user’s experience. And social media isn’t the only media that using this method. Your searching browser has also adapted to your habit so that you can use them easier. In fact, even before dawn of the internet, the method of observing consumer’s behavior has already become one of companies strategy to increase their selling.
Social media has always — and most likely — will always become part of ourselves. Knowing that social media has an algorithm that track your activity might not be helpful to solve the privacy breach issue. However, the usage of algorithm has some benefits that actually help lots of people in order to find their interest. In conclusion, although it might threaten our privacy life, social media is actually trying to become better for you by tracking your activities with your consent. (CS)
NB: This is actually my first ever article written in full English. If there any misappropriate terms that I used, I am deeply sorry because of my incautiousness.
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