About a year ago, I began to follow my interest in health and fitness on Instagram. Soon, I began to see more and more fitness-related accounts, groups, posts, and ads.
I kept clicking and following, and eventually, my Instagram became all about fit people, fitness and motivational material, and advertisements. Does this sound familiar?
While the algorithms and my brain kept me scrolling on the endless feeds, I was reminded of what digital marketers like to say: “Money is in the list.” That is, the more customized your group, people, and page follows, the less time and money is needed to sell you related ideas. Instead, brand ambassadors will do the work, spreading products, ideas, and ideologies with passion and free of charge.
The Promise, the Matrix
Those of us old enough to know what life was like before social media may remember how exciting Facebook was at its inception. Imagine, the ability to connect with old friends we hadn’t seen for decades! Then, Facebook was a virtual dynamic conversation. This brilliant idea, to connect to others with shared experiences and interests, was strengthened with the advent of Twitter, Instagram, and other apps.Things didn’t remain that simple. These platforms have morphed into Frankenstein’s monsters, filled with so-called friends we’ve never met, slanted news stories, celebrity gossip, self-aggrandizement, and ads.
The Digital Tribe
Eventually, the algorithms expose us mostly to the ideology of one “digital tribe”—the same way my Instagram world became only superfit and active people. This is how one’s matrix can become the extremes of conservatism, liberalism, different religions, climate-change worriers or deniers, or other ideologies. Members of each tribe keep consuming and feeding one another the same ideology while policing one another against opening up to “the others.”The Matrix Does the Thinking
Human thinking itself has been transformed. It’s now more difficult for us to grasp the “big picture.” A book is a long read these days, too much for some people. Scrolling and swiping culture has reduced our attention span. On average people spend 1.7 to 2.5 seconds on a Facebook newsfeed item, for example. It has also deactivated our critical thinking skills.Even really big news doesn’t last on our feeds longer than a few hours; after all, the next blockbuster story is just ahead. The matrix does the thinking; we consume the ideology and are bolstered by the likes of our tribemates.
Is There a Red Pill?
We need to take back control. Here are seven things we can do to unplug ourselves from the matrix:- Review and update your ad preferences on social media at least once per year.
- Confuse the AI by flagging all ads and suggestions as “irrelevant.”
- Practice being more inclusive. Check other websites, read their news, and don’t “unfriend” people who think differently from you.
- Turn off cable news and read instead. Or at least put a disciplined limit on hours of exposure.
- If you think everything your tribe leaders say is absolute truth, think again.
- Go offline and go out (following local pandemic response requirements). Practice smartphone-free hours.
- Finally, remember that your neighbor who supports the other football team or the other political party isn’t your enemy; you can still go for a bike ride together. I did today, and we didn’t even have to talk politics.
Friends Read Free