1. What is the purpose of Digital Media (Social Networks)?
2. How does it influence the daily life of society and the mindset of its users?
3. The phenomenon of ‘influencers’ and the new product of capitalism.
4. Artificial intelligence, algorithms, advertising and addiction.
5. Metaverse, social isolation, distancing from human nature and other consequences
6. Alternative?
THE INFLUENCERS PHENOMENON, A NEW PRODUCT OF CAPITALISM
Civilization was built under the idea of worshiping celebrities, since the origin of the hierarchy, the mentality of an image to be worshiped and appreciated became common within civilization. Once political leaders, once religious leaders, to the point where we reached the reality where the personal image becomes a public figure and the public interest is to know the smallest details of that person’s life, in which there is no privacy. – it is important to note that the West has a very critical view of the appreciation of historical personalities who played a role in the development of a society, while in a hypocritical way, they worship the image of empty personalities, famous only for their material extravagance and their power of ‘influence’. The subject of the cult of personalities deserved a text by itself, as it involves various topics from belief and religion to capitalist exploitation, so I will stick to the proposed topic only.
As a result of the normalization and mass use of digital media, new celebrities and personalities are constantly emerging at the same time that personalities that have recently been highly revered fall into oblivion. There are many examples that I could cite of people who came out of nowhere and with empty contents, who only reproduce the normative and standardized mentality of capitalist and patriarchal modernity, achieved an unusual fame and today profit millions of dollars annually with the repetitive production of a mechanized, virtual and theatrical content. It is important to highlight how in these media sexual content has exploded and generated an exacerbated consumption of pornography – which is also going through a process of ‘restructuring’ appropriate to the moment, such as the platforms for the sale of ‘exclusive’ materials, the which distance themselves from the pornographic industry and present themselves as facilitators for ‘professionals’. In the end, it is the same patriarchal, consumerist and exploitative mentality reproducing itself in a way and generating profit, again, for an exclusive minority – while massively influencing the youth mentality (since, these are the target audience and biggest consumers).
Degeneration and futility have reached absurd levels in which, in the name of individual freedom and freedom of expression, producers of virtual content – the so-called influencers, are harassing people on the streets, creating false social experiments, creating scenarios and a false reality in exchange for views and attention, which in turn generates money. Once again, virtual reality distances itself from the reality experienced in society and ignores the system of oppression and exploitation that plagues us daily. It is precisely with this knowledge and method that capitalist modernity reproduces itself, and it is from the development of the algorithms of each platform that this is capable.
AI, ALGORITHMS, ADVERTISING AND ADDICTION
Each platform develops its own algorithm with the objective of different ways of keeping the user as long as possible in their feeds and converting this interaction into profit for large companies and corporations. Whatever the platform and its operating method, one thing is certain, they all have the same end goal and create social bubbles and content bubbles suited to each user’s search and interest. It is a stylized consumption for each individual, specifically designed to keep the person’s attention, falling into a cycle of consumption of similar contents to the point of making the person lose track of time – and as the saying goes, time and money.
It’s no wonder that the method that has proven to be the most effective is to go viral with short videos (shorts, reels, tiktok), to participate in an online challenge with choreographed dances – to the point that the pop songs produced today already take into account the reaction they will have in such environments and are thought of in their rhythm, lyrics and choreography, precisely with a focus on these networks. Because of this, a clear step back in the production of a style of music which has been subject to serious criticism for a long time is remarkable.
The traditional idea of advertising does not apply when we are talking about the ‘voluntary’ consumption of each individual, according to the users of these media. For them, propaganda is the dissemination of theatrical material and with a clear and objective focus in order to dissuade their listeners. It turns out that the hyper-sexualization, the futility, the consumption of drugs, the methods to go viral are in themselves forms of propaganda of a mentality which subconsciously affects all its listeners and leads them to a trance state in which the Media overuse is associated with mental health issues including depression, sleep disorders and eating disorders among young people. US studies show that 75% of teens who see photos on social networking sites of other young people smoking marijuana or drinking alcohol encourage them to experiment in the same way. Meanwhile, around 27% of children who spend 3 or more hours a day on social media show symptoms of mental health problems. Children who are depressed or suffer from anxiety (both of which are often exacerbated by social media use) may then try to use alcohol or other drugs to cheer themselves up.
SOCIAL ISOLATION, REMOVAL FROM HUMAN NATURE AND OTHER CONSEQUENCES
In addition to what has already been pointed out, it is also important to emphasize that one of the greatest harms caused by digital media is the social isolation created by them. While the term ‘social networks’ is used, due to the idea of being socialized online, true human contact has become less and less present in society. It is common on any given night to find socializing places around the city where groups of friends are sitting together, but each one in their own personal and virtual world, consuming what pleases them. There is a clear and visible disconnect between users and their surroundings, which has real and serious consequences for society.
The human being is a social being, no matter how much liberalism insists on rooting and indoctrinating the idea that greed, ego, greed are natural characteristics of our species, when we know that by nature we are communal beings, beings that evolved and have developed especially through the ability to collaborate, share and live together. It was the civilizational and capitalist mentality that developed a reality which preaches the opposite values to these and places the individual as the center of society and the world, while when we notice the technological advances and their consequences, we also notice the acceptance of such narrative and belief in it. We are seeing and living in a new generation where parents create profiles for their newborn children, children aged 5 already have their own phones and are encouraged to use them so as not to disturb their parents, the suicide rate among girls between 10 and 15 years increasing alarmingly and more than ever nihilistic, depressive and existentialist content disseminated in mass for this new generation that does not know the world beyond its virtual bubble. The perfect setting for unbridled and blind consumption, which capitalist modernity aspires to so much.
Moreover, the forces that have been pointing to this virtual degeneration and futility are also components of this system. Just as in capitalism in crisis, fascist forces assume a more active role and deceive the masses with their speeches, we can see the same phenomenon occurring in digital media, where fascist, ultraconservative and misogynistic groups criticize virtual reality but use the same virtual mechanisms to carry out their advertisements forged in a homogeneous, normative, patriarchal and traditionalist mentality. For example the idea of “sigma man” or “reject modernity, embrace traditionalism”. Even if they are based on a valid critique of the role and function of digital media, these groups are not willing to seek a solution for society and this crisis, they are just doing what they have always done, spreading hatred and using propaganda to gain strength and organize themselves.
ALTERNATIVE?
Really, even as the conclusion of this reflection, it is hard for me to come up with an alternative that is viable and realistic. Unfortunately, while digital media continue to serve capitalist modernity (as well as positivism, legalism, science, etc.), it will be difficult to find a viable alternative for society as a whole, in which it is possible to escape such evils.
What falls to us is the task of reflecting on the theme, demonstrating the real face of these media and their objectives, the dangers they impose on society and organizing youth. From the basic work, being present and active in the lives of these young people, cutting back on this consumption. Promote that they leave such networks, that they use their time in another way, that they are organized. It’s what we can do for now, but education and promotion of healthy policies is essential for any organization and movement which wants to build a new world. Or do you think that Kurdish and Zapatista comrades are wasting their time with tiktok and instagram?
