If you’ve kept up to date with the latest in “woke” entertainment, one documentary you’re probably aware of is The Social Dilemma on Netflix. In this film, early employees from Twitter, Instagram, Reddit, Pinterest, Facebook and Google talk about all the ways social media has gone wrong. Notice that no one mentions Netflix as a part of this elite group of “tech enemies.”
In addition to providing the appropriate number of graphics, interviews, and b-roll expected of any documentary, the film also features a sort of mini-movie that explores how each member of a suburban family uses social media. This family of automatons lives under the thumb of Big Tech, or so we’re led to believe.
Before we all react by opening our laptops and deleting our social media accounts, it’s worth acknowledging the other side of the story. Social media has some benefits. In fact, it has many.
1. Humor
You don’t have to know what a meme is to know what’s funny. From the relatable, to the outrageous, to the downright eye-opening, social media is full of hidden gems. Knowing where to find them is one thing, but the discovery is half the fun.
2. Sharing
In preschool, we were all taught that sharing is good, but somewhere along the way, we forgot. Social media is here to help. Yes, you’re often literally sharing someone else’s post, but even the ability to forward an article, a thought, or an idea provides a connection with others. After all, sharing is caring.
3. Good News
It’s hard to imagine something more welcome to our current society than John Krasinski’s Some Good News. Before he sold it to CBS, Krasinski crowdsourced positive news stories to try and give people a break from relentlessly negative COVID-19 news cycle. When he reached out on Twitter and asked people to share some good news, the positivity came in droves. Could that have happened without social media?
4. Friends and Family
One of the most obvious benefits of social media is that it still provides us with the ability to stay connected to the people who matter to us most. On a personal level, 90% of the pictures I see of my niece and nephew are from social media. That’s a gift.
5. Choose Your Information
A lot has been said about the information overload we’ve all experienced on social media. This is certainly a real issue, and we can only process so much. But we must remember that the alternative is a lack of information. What social media does is give us the power to choose how much information we want to receive. No other time in history have such resources been available at our fingertips. It’s up to us to know how to use it.
6. Chance to Create
These days, everyone is an amateur photographer. Some of us are better than others, but social media is like the paint and paintbrush that anyone can use to create whatever they want. Regardless of what you think of your creative talents, you have the opportunity to try them out and share your work.
7. Easy Shopping
People often complain about the over-personalization of ads on social media, and such targeting is a legitimate concern. However, you can look at it another way and realize that you no longer have to spend hours browsing through clothes racks in a mall. It’s easier than ever to find the things we want. That’s not all bad.
8. Encouragement and Affirmation
The Social Dilemma spends a lot of time deconstructing the “like” button and how harmful it is. Yet, at the same time, liking someone’s post is a tangible way for us to offer support to someone we may not have seen for a long time. Additionally, liking someone’s progress on a fitness app can help encourage those within your network achieve their health goals, and is not only fun but beneficial. Why would we stop cheering each other on?
9. Social Movement Spark
Say what you want about #MeToo, #BLM, #TimesUp, or any other recent social movement, but there’s a reason they start as hashtags. Social media is the spark that lights the flame of conversation. Of course, keeping that fire under control is an entirely different topic, but the fact that we can talk about things that were once off limits says a lot about the impact social media can have in the pursuit of good.
10. Watch with Friends
Arguably the most fun days and nights on social media are during live events. Whether you’re watching sports or a debate, seeing what other people are saying can be both entertaining and informative. It’s like a Super Bowl Watch party with the smartest, most amusing people in the world right there with you.
11. Meeting Real People
There are plenty of stories about people meeting their spouses on a social media app, and this is likely to become more and more common. What this signifies is that we are still able to see the real people behind social media accounts. It’s easy to criticize the anonymity social media provides, but as long as people are meeting each other in real life, why not continue making connections?
12. Community in COVID-19
In a time where many of us are still stuck in our homes alone, social media has provided a way to break out of these bubbles. When we couldn’t meet in person, we gathered online. In a day and age where loneliness is a real epidemic, providing a place for people to meet and talk and laugh and share is nothing other than a modern-day medicine.
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Each of these positive traits of social media has its own downside. You could probably use these same headlines to write an article that argues the opposite point. However, what actually matters is us. What matters is how we choose to use the tools we have. We the people have a decision to make: control or be controlled.
The Social Dilemma will tell you that we’ve already chosen the latter, but that’s just not true. You can still turn off notifications when you need a break. You can stop scrolling when you start to feel anxious or angry. You can talk to real people. These decisions rest in our hands. Don’t forfeit your autonomy because a documentary told you to.
The views expressed in this opinion piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.