It all started with Six Degrees. Launched in 1997, this website enabled users to upload a profile and make friends with other users. It was the predecessor of the many social networking sites to come, and its creation heralded the advent of a new era – an era in which social media would emerge as a new medium of communication. Defined as a group of Internet-based applications that allow the creation and exchange of user-generated content, social media takes on many different forms, from social networks to social news to even Wikis. Given how pervasive social media has become, it is indisputable that it can influence individuals, and hence wields the power to both divide and unite the community. While it has the potential to create rifts within society by perpetuating existing divides like the generational divide and creating echo chambers, it has an even greater potential to bring individuals together. It cuts across physical boundaries to unite, facilitates the sharing of different opinions, and sheds light on various otherwise unknown situation. Therefore, social media does not, in fact divide more than unite.
Admittedly, social media does perpetuate and exacerbate the generational gap between the older and the younger generations of today. The younger generation are known as ‘digital natives’ who have grown up with technological gadgets as their toys and social media as a legitimate means of self-expression. In fact, according to a research conducted by Pew Research Centre on 700 American youth in 2018, close to 95% of teenagers have access to a smartphone, and 45% say that they are online on social media platforms on a ‘almost constant’ basis. The older generation is remarkably less adept at using technology and social media: while 90% of those aged 18-29 use at least one social media account, only 40% of those aged above 65 do. With the older generations lacking an interest in and knowledge of social media, the two groups are unable to relate to each other, especially since one is so immersed in social media culture, such as memes, and the latter is not. This thereby creates an ever-widening chasm between the two of them.
Additionally, social media platforms have created filter bubbles, and their pervasive influence create echo chambers, where users are inundated with information that support their existing views and are underexposed to information that challenges their assumptions, thereby effectively isolating them in their own cultural or ideological bubbles. Though the use of algorithms, social media sites such as Google, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter have taken to doing this, streamlining the information their users see first based on their online behaviour. According to research by the Pew Research Centre, 47% of conservatives are likely to see Facebook posts aligned with their own views, as opposed to half that percentage for those who seek the middle ground. This form of filtering is rather worrisome because it affirms its users’ confirmation bias, creating the impression that only one correct stance – theirs – exists. It is not conducive for discourse since individuals are not exposed to other narratives which may challenge their own. Therefore, the evolution of such filter bubbles on social media may lead to the polarisation of various groups within the society, hence diving instead of uniting.
However, social media’s ability to unite should not be overlooked. There is no doubt that social media facilitates the interaction of people across borders. Social media allows people to make new friends from different nationalities, as well as sustain relationships with friends and family who have moved overseas. For example, through sites like Tumblr blogs, friendships can be forged between someone living in Asia and another living in Canada. These allow for a deeper understanding of other cultures, practices and ways of thinking that we may not otherwise be exposed to. With this greater comprehension comes more tolerance, and therefore greater unity on a global level. Additionally, social networking applications such as Skype and Facebook allow video calls to be made, which are helpful in maintaining that human touch. Social media has shrunk the world into one that can be accessed from the small screen of a smartphone, reducing the distance between people.
Next, social media allows individuals from all walks of life to air their views, and facilitates discourse between individuals with distinct, unique perspectives. Since close to 1.7 billion people of the 7.2 billion people in the world today have active social media accounts, there is a smorgasbord of differing opinions online. Social media platforms empower these individuals to broadcast their views, and thus provides one with a unique insight into the views of others. Take for example, Singapore’s political scene. Cognizant of the increasing online presence of Singaporeans, the government created a website called eGov2015 in a bid to ensure that feedback from Singaporeans from all walks of life can be heard, and to facilitate greater co-creation and collaboration between the government and the people. Social media therefore makes it easier for individuals and organizations alike to hear different views and thus act accordingly.
Finally, social media also helps to unite the global community by shedding light on situations all around the world. With the ease of dissemination of information, netizens all around the world are not just able to glean insights into the struggles of others but are empowered to take action. For example, the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, started in the summer of 2014, raised $11.5 million for its cause. Over 17 million people uploaded their challenge videos to Facebook, and thus cause was also championed by celebrities such as Taylor Swift, Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg. The challenge was started in a bid to raise awareness for the disease known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and the use of social media spreading this challenge resulted in its resounding success. A more recent example would be the Trashtag Challenge, where social media users pick up litter, clean their environment and later post a photo of their accomplishments on social media. It has allowed users a better insight of the sheer scale of the plastics pollution problem. It is a good example of how social media can go further than raising awareness to mobilizing individuals to act, producing tangible results. In this way, social media allows for the creation of unity among people, for it raises awareness about issues that society is confronted with and mobilizes people to act in the interest of their communities.
In essence, while social media may cause rifts to occur and widen within society, its tendency to unite and bring people together is even greater. The availability of information online allows for the forging of a more understanding and hence, more united world and is something that would have been unattainable in a world fragmented into isolated groups.