Is social media good?

By Avery Hoisington

Many people use social media every day, whether it is for school, work, or for their personal lives. Social media helps us gain insight into the world that we may have never had without it.

However, social media can be used in ways that cause issues, both socially and politically.

Specifically, Parler, a social media platform popular among far-right conservatives was shut-down by Amazon because of its use to organize and incite violence regarding the attack on the Capitol on Jan 6. After a recent relaunch, the website is now up and running again.

Parler’s website says “Join today and start enjoying

social media the way you always wanted it to be.”

Many people wonder if platforms such as Parler are acceptable, especially since it has been used as space where hate groups, anti-semites, and QAnon believers can speak without consequence, as stated on the Parler website.

“Speak freely and express yourself openly, without fear of being ‘deplatformed’ for your views,” says Parler.

Parler gained popularity while other platforms like Facebook, TikTok and Reddit began censoring users spreading hate speech and propaganda.

Another popular concern with social media is the idea of “cancel-culture,” or “mob-men-

tality,” which has been referred to as a modern-day version of being shunned.

“The idea of a “cancel culture” is inherently controversial. What one person might see as being canceled for controversial statements, another might see as being held accountable for offensive or harmful views,” Danielle Kurtzleben, NPR.

Social media is also sometimes used to spread false information or satirical works that have been perceived as real news.

Yet another issue facing social media is the spread of false or misleading information. Misinformation plaques social media sites, with out-of-context statistics or even just blatant lies. This had lead to platforms en-

abling warning messages about incorrect data, or noncredible sources, which rose to popularity at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“In the noisy news landscape, these are just some of the features launched by the tech industry to bring down COVID-19 misinformation and deliver facts to the public,” Malaka Gharib, NPR.

“The lack of understanding around satirical news on the internet has also led to some pages and posts being reported for spreading false information,” Shamani Joshi, VICE.

Although the ethics of social media are constantly questioned due to these types of situations, social media can also be very beneficial.

Social media is often used to grow small businesses, share new ideas, and connect with friends and family around the world, which has been especially helpful with COVID-19.

Without the help of social media, working from home and quarantining would be nearly impossible in today’s age of instant gratification.