We Deserve Better From Social Media
In 2019, Samuel and Matthew, cofounders of nenos, were talking about how disgruntled they were with many preexisting social media platforms. And they’re not alone: studies show that many of these networks cause depression and anxiety in their users, possibly incite violence and encourage bullying, and proliferate scams and fake information.
If you’ve seen the new Netflix hit, The Social Dilemma, it does a good job at highlighting how social media platforms take advantage of their users by building addictive algorithms that keep their users on the platform longer, which ultimately helps the company collect more and more data to sell to third-party businesses:
If you are not paying for the product, you are the product. — The Social Dilemma
While ads are not necessarily a bad element of otherwise free social media platforms, it should not be at the expense of the user’s mental health or a positive experience on the platform. And even The Social Dilemma recognizes the good that social media can play in the world. This is why we need a new social media experience in the market that refocuses user content around community and supports features or policies that make social media something that people love again. We need social media platforms that:
Prohibit political advertising. With the exception of information on registering to vote or voting itself, sponsored political content exacerbates so many issues in modern politics and can even lead to misinformation.
Feature a less aggressive algorithm. Over the years, algorithms have become more assertive in promoting content that is controversial and divisive — because it gets people to stay and engage; this is at the expense of content you love, such as life updates from your family and friends.
Emphasize privacy control for creators. Folks on social media platforms should be given more tools to ensure their privacy and protect their information, because our social media accounts are essentially digital diaries of our lives and should be safeguarded as such.
Center content around creator communities. Social media has created this incredible opportunity to connect people from across the world, while at the same time devaluing the communities that exist around them. Social media ought to promote more localized and relevant content.
Support small and local businesses. Even before COVID-19, small businesses and family-owned shops were being threatened — social media can play an integral supporting role in fostering the growth of these small businesses by engaging users with their content.
We believe that with these steps taken, a social media platform can create an uplifting and positive environment that users will fall in love with again. We’re all tired of social media feeds filled with garbage content, scams, and posts that are designed and promoted to rile us up — if we’re going to be giving companies our data, we might as well be having a good time.