"A decade ago, few would have predicted that socialmedia platforms would evolve from places of connection into algorithmic engines of addiction, polarization, and foreign interference. But that is what happened. Facebook and Instagram (Meta), TikTok (ByteDance), X (formerly Twitter), YouTube (Google), and others do not merely host speech; they direct what billions of people see. Their recommendation systems tuned relentlessly for engagement elevate whatever keeps users hooked. And that means pushing viewers to watch conspiracy, harassment, hate, fraud, or statebacked disinformation campaigns."
"The harms are not speculative. The U.S. Surgeon General's 2023 advisory laid out extensive evidence linking heavy socialmedia use to anxiety, depression, and selfharm risks among adolescents and called for urgent action. Meta's own secret internal research showed that Instagram makes bodyimage issues worse for one in three teen girls, and that teens themselves blamed the app for worsening anxiety and depression."
The U.S. National Security Strategy criticizes European digital regulation as censorship while the U.S. administration remains deeply entangled with Big Tech. Social platforms have shifted into algorithmic systems that prioritize engagement over public well-being, directing what billions see and amplifying harmful content. Recommendation systems elevate conspiracy, harassment, hate, fraud, and state-backed disinformation because those topics keep users hooked. Profit motives sustain monetization of scams and banned goods. Empirical evidence links heavy social-media use to anxiety, depression, and self-harm among adolescents, and internal research shows Instagram worsens body-image issues for many teen girls.
Read at www.mediaite.com
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