Without Computers there Would be no Social Media
The ‘dawn’ of the techno-generation seems to always be upon us, with the constant development of new and emerging technologies. But, where did it all begin? It could be traced back to the ‘90s, maybe earlier. It may have begun with Alan Turning, who; “was a talented British mathematician and logician whose work laid the foundation for modern computer science and artificial intelligence.” According to the internet, that is. So, let’s start from the first website ever created to the endless social media sites such as Myspace, Facebook, Twitter, and many others. Social Media seems to have infiltrated the lives of almost every American. I am sure everyone remembers the MSN Messenger chat feeds in 1999, when it was a big deal. You would have hundreds of people all talking at once, trying to understand what everyone was saying—those endless thread days.
Just in time for the “end of the world” that was looming with Y2K just on the horizon. “The computers will not process all the 0s,” some in the media said. The hype is always greater than the actual event for almost anything. Now we can start to see the rise of a new era. One that would spread communications around the world in an instant. For better or worse, there was no stopping it. “On April 30, 1993, four years after publishing a proposal for “an idea of linked information systems,” computer scientist Tim Berners-Lee releases the source code for the world’s first web browser and editor.” The first website isn’t important, I guess—not even the person who came up with the code is widely known. This “WorldWideWeb” would blossom throughout the ‘90s into a safe haven for people to “anonymously” fulfill their darkest fantasies. Sure, the internet is a source of information, but most humans are the same, and you see this trend with the rise of online anonymity. People do all kinds of weird things on the internet—particularly on social media.
The Social Media ‘influencers’ are replacing credible information with opinion-based forced subjugation. You always read stories about adults trying to find children on the internet, it is sickening. But you also have your internet ‘trolls,’ ‘Russian Bots,’ or just random individuals who seem to have nothing better to do with their time except harass random people on the internet. There are constant doomsday predictions, and even people claiming to be time travelers from the future. On the internet, it seems the limitations are only those within the imagination. I think ‘time-travelers’ were a Tik Tok trend at one point or another—I even communicated with them on Twitter. It is strange to follow such trends, but the lengths people will go in the hopes of going ‘viral’ seem to have no end. What is even more sickening is the intoxicating effects that the technology has on the minds of children, and the unsuspecting adults. There really should be an age limit set in place for children to access the internet, just like there are age restrictions on drinking or buying cigarettes. Children shouldn’t be allowed on Social Media without direct parental supervision. But no matter what most kids find away around the limitations so better supervision is necessary.
Social Media sites such as Myspace set the trend for what followed. The early 2000s were a different scene than what is seen today. Of course, the early days of Facebook changed the online networking system completely—though it seemed like a slightly different version of Myspace. For the majority of the generations that are parents to the ‘Gen Alpha’ and the younger generations, they all seem to be distracted by the ‘new’ technology. That generation grew up with the technology mostly after becoming teens, so we saw the world through a different lens—one that existed before the world started experiencing things through the computer screens. Even in the early 90s the internet wasn’t that popular. Most people went outside, to the library, and interacted with each other face to face. However, we gave the kids the ‘new technology’ without hesitation—and how wrong of a decision that was. The technology was addicting, far beyond the imagination could have ever predicted. Or did we just ignore it because of distractions placed by the clever marketers of this new technology?
The Problem with Ai
Not only was the technology itself addicting, but the ‘software’ used and the algorithms that fueled it were far more addicting than the uninformed population could have ever imagined. The ‘rise’ of Artificial Intelligence (Ai), showed a new kind of problem in the Social Media sphere. According to an article by PsychologyToday.com, “Seeing is believing—or so it used to seem. Over the past several years, a branch of artificial intelligence (Ai) known as ‘deep learning’ has emerged, and with it, a new technology that may undermine how much we can trust what we see with our own eyes and or hear with our ears. Deep learning allows for a person’s face, voice, or writing style to be fed to a computer algorithm and for a ‘Deepfake’ to be created. A Deepfake is a hyper-realistic digital copy of a person that can be manipulated into doing or saying anything.” Perception is reality, so what we constantly see—we tend to believe.
There are many ‘deepfake’ examples out there. Most of them are offensive and aimed at destroying an individual’s character. Using computer learning and Artificial Intelligence to change what was actually said could be done for even a former president could have their voice manipulated that is nothing more than a fabrication of some random persons imagination. Now we can really start to see the problem with this technology. It is making it so people have no idea if the information they are receiving is even real. This is a common trend on Social Media and there seems to be no limits to what it can do at this point. However, people are drawn to it.
Here is one thing that an article pointed out about these ‘Deep Fakes’ that may be interesting to know. “Participants in our studies were asked to navigate to YouTube and watch a short video of “Chris,” a person they were encountering for the first time. We manipulated the content of the video they encountered so that they would either form a positive or a negative impression of Chris. We also manipulated the type of video they encountered, so that some watched a genuine video of Chris while others watched a Deepfake of him.” This type of manipulation seems to be changing the perception of reality for those exposed to this new form of Propaganda that is being inflicted onto the masses of these newer generations. But what is Propaganda? On Social Media ‘Fake News’ and ‘Propaganda’ would be synonymous. The book Propaganda, by Edward Bernays, opens with this: “The conscious and intelligent manipulation of the organized habits and opinions of the masses is an important element in democratic society. Those who manipulate this unseen mechanism of society constitute an invisible government which is the true ruling power of our country.” Whoever controls the flow of information controls the citizens of the nation.
Who is this invisible government?
This shows that the systematic use of Ai is being employed to manipulate the citizens of society by manipulating their perception of reality. People can no longer tell the difference between what is real and what is a manufactured version of reality. “Some of the phenomena of this process are criticized—the manipulation of news, the inflation of personality, and the general ballyhoo by which politicians and commercial products and social ideas are brought to the consciousness of the masses. The instruments by which public opinion is organized and focused may be misused. But such organization and focusing are necessary to orderly life.”(Bernays p. 39) We see this trend on Social Media with ‘influencers,’ ‘actors,’ and paid ‘distractors,’ forming and molding our ideas about the world and shaping our perception of what we perceive as ‘reality.’ This could all be linked to,H.R. 4310. Here is what former President Obama had to say about this, which seemingly authorized the use of ‘Propaganda’ to be used in Media and News organizations. “I have approved this annual defense authorization legislation, as I have in previous years, because it authorizes essential support for service members and their families, renews vital national security programs, and helps ensure that the United States will continue to have the strongest military in the world.” The total bill was “more than 680 pages,” according to the former President. Most of these bills are too long for them to have even been read before they are ever signed into law, which affects the lives of American citizens. But what does this have to do with Social Media? “A little under half (48%) of U.S. adults say they get news from Social Media ‘often’ or ‘sometimes,’ a 5 percentage point decline compared with 2020, according to a Pew Research Center survey conducted July 26-Aug. 8, 2021.”(Walker, 2021)
Now let’s look at another Pew Research Center poll done this year, “Digital sources have become an important part of Americans’ news diets – with social media playing a crucial role, particularly for younger adults. Overall, just over half of U.S. adults (54%) say they at least sometimes get news from social media, up slightly compared with the last few years.”(Pew, 2024) There is clearly a steady increase in the consumption of ‘news media’ information from Social Media, as well as the spread of misinformation and misrepresentations of truth and facts. When we abridge, change, or manipulate what is said by another person, you intentionally change how others perceive the message. This is what Bernays was talking about. “There are invisible rulers who control the destinies of millions. It is not generally realized to what extent the words and actions of our most influential public men are dictated by shrewd persons operating behind the scenes. Now, what is still more important, the extent to which our thoughts and habits are modified by authorities.”(Bernays, 2005) These elusive ‘powers’ now exist behind a computer screen, drawing power from the algorithm. This is used to manipulate the masses.
Technological Warfare
According to the Department of Defense website, “In January, DOD updated its 2012 directive that governs the responsible development of autonomous weapon systems to the standards aligned with the advances in artificial intelligence.”(DoD, 2023) This shows that the Department of Defense was more aware of this emerging technology than the rest of the population. This would allow the government to ‘seize control’ of the technology, giving it autonomy over how and when it is implemented into the American populace. We could go down conspiracy road, putting on our tinfoil hats along the way. But, let’s be serious. It is clear that things have changed, it is obvious that more people are becoming reliant on things like Social Media, for ‘trusted’ sources of information. Why? Is it because we are addicted to the endless feeds? Threads that fill our heads with constant information throughout the day. “Overall, digital media use, from online gaming to smartphone/tablet or internet use, has revolutionized societies worldwide. In the UK alone, according to data collected by a regulatory agency for communication (Ofcom), 95% of people aged 16 to 24 years old own a smartphone and check it on average every 12 minutes. Estimates suggest that 20% of all adults are online more than 40 hours per week.”(Korte, 2020)
There are 20% of adults that spend more time on the internet than they do with their families, at their jobs, or doing things to better their lives according to some ‘research.’ This must have a negative impact on the individuals within society. One article I found pointed out that, “Magnetic resonance imaging of the human brain and analysis showing correlation between gray-matter volume (GMV) and social-networking site (SNS) addiction score.” The article discusses many negative cognitive effects on the human mind, especially at a young age. “This study indicates that reading skills might be compromised if fiber tracts between the language areas are not developed to their full extent.” This shows damaging effects Social Media has on individuals—that, ‘intoxicating effect.’ How much is too much? How long should people spend online? I guess it has to be different from individual to individual. The internet itself makes some people happy, and others depressed. People find love online, and some people seek out to harm others’ self-worth. This leads to demoralization through psychological subversion. The internet is a tool for America’s foreign enemies to influence the perception and realities of the individuals within the United States. This even happens by individuals within the country itself. So why would anyone, especially in America, create or help perpetuate something that negatively affects the people of America? Money…perhaps?
Of course the intoxicating effects of Social Media and the delusion it creates for those that use it, is ‘intoxicating’ to say the least. People want to reach ‘influencer status,’ disparaging others, and putting people in the spotlight to be publicly shamed for likes, shares, and comments. All in hopes of going ‘viral.’ People spend a lot of time worrying what other people think of them online. People who will likely never meet face to face. Influencing the lives of potentially millions of people they will never know. What kind of reality is that? Is it one someone would want to live in? Most people would be surprised by the reality of some of these Social Media games—the ones that attract mostly children. Games meant for children are often played by adults, who have the potential to negatively influence any child’s perception of reality. The trend is obvious.
People are influenced by things they envy and again, ‘perception is reality.’ So what people repeatedly see, they start to believe and desire to have. This manufactured lifestyle no longer seems like a coincidence, but a perfected reality we are living in. Could it have been avoided? On the internet you can reach the entire world from your living room, from the tips of your fingers, or thumbs. Now you are able to talk to someone across the country or even on the other side of the world in seconds. For younger people, and people who are unaware—such as older generations that lived their entire lives without the internet altogether—well, these people all need to be made aware that there are a lot of dishonest people on the internet who should not be trusted.
The internet is filled with scam artists and people pretending to be someone they are not. The ‘Dark Web,’ according to an unreliable Wikipedia article, states: “The dark web is the World Wide Web content that exists on darknets (overlay networks) that use the Internet but require specific software, configurations, or authorization to access. Through the dark web, private computer networks can communicate and conduct business anonymously without divulging identifying information, such as a user’s location. The dark web forms a small part of the deep web, the part of the web not indexed by web search engines, although sometimes the term deep web is mistakenly used to refer specifically to the dark web.”(Link) That is interesting—you can click the link for the source, but use your imagination…
I say that Wikipedia is ‘unreliable’ because it is mostly just random people and their opinion. Sometimes the information can be fact-checked, but in the end it might not be a reliable source. What the ‘Dark Web’ truly is, is a safe haven for immoral people, criminals alike, and other individuals with immoral intentions. Everyone on the internet has had all of their personal information exposed at some point. When people put their personal information—email, phone number, date of birth, etc.—they expose it to a hackable system. Nothing on the internet is truly foolproof. According to the Government Accountability Office, “As technologies change, consumers may not always know what data businesses are collecting about them, or how those data are used and shared. Advanced, internet-connected technologies help businesses gather increasing amounts of personal data, track online behavior, and monitor consumers’ locations and activities, intensifying concerns about the privacy and accuracy of consumer data.” That seems scary…
So who are the dishonest ones? Is it the people creating the technologies? Maybe the people using it to try and steal, cheat, or just pretend to be someone they never could be? Never trust anything you read or see, only things you find out for yourself to be true. Sure perception is reality. However, the way you perceive reality becomes your understanding of reality. So how can anyone really understand what is happening from behind a computer screen? Especially when things are so easily manipulated…
Technological Warfare Is Psychological Warfare
Lots of movies talk about ‘Psychological Warfare,’ the movie industry is constantly airing new ‘spy’ movies. But what is Psychological Warfare really? The dictionary defines Psychological Warfare as, “things that are done to make someone (such as an enemy or opponent) become less confident or to feel hopeless, afraid, etc.” This can be easily done online through Social Media, because in psyche-war you have what is known as a ‘belligerent’—someone “inclined to or exhibiting assertiveness, hostility, or combativeness.” Online this could be anyone… Even a foreign enemy or an angry neighbor. Everyone knows a ‘Karen.’ Imagine your DMs after the controversial post you made, the humiliation of individuals on full display. Or the outrage the Mainstream Media shows when a certain ‘politician’ who used to be a tv celebrity says something controversial on their Twitter page—I guess it’s X now, but still… The Media seems to never stop talking about it. Individuals on Social Media spread the information, for all to see. The demoralization of the American nation is on full display for the world to see. Not all people use Social Media the same way, some stay away from it completely, but are still subjected to the influence it has. Sometimes, when you watch the news, they air these ‘polls’ which sometimes come from surveys done on Social Media sites. This seems biased… Plus, how certain can anyone be that the person is being serious, is American, or even real when you think about it?
This has a large probability for error. How certain can anyone actually be of the information they are receiving—or know that it is valid? Diving deeper into the realms of Social Media and the influence it has on the population is always going to be a ‘hidden’ talking point within the techno-generation. If the masses were made aware of the negative effects of technology use, I am sure it wouldn’t faze them—how often do people drink and use illegal drugs? The point is people do things that are bad for them all the time. But what should we do about people who are intentionally causing unnecessary emotional stress to people on the internet? How about people who prey on children or the elderly? Should there be an internet Constitution drafted?
Who is going to regulate the internet? The government can’t even seem to run the country effectively, let alone regulate who controls the internet and how it is used. Most politicians seem to spend more time on Social Media than the majority of everyday citizens. They are always promoting themselves and their new ‘policies.’ Maybe politicians are the real ‘Social Media Influencers?’ Who really controls the internet when Artificial Intelligence is introduced into it? We have all seen the horror movies about technology taking over the world and destroying humanity. Terminator and the end-of-the-world prophecies depicted on screen for our entire lives. All of this has been told through television and exploited on the internet through endless threads.
We consume all forms of technology—this is what the internet did, it fueled a new form of addiction, all from the palm of our hands. One the ‘unsuspecting’ masses would never truly understand until it was too late. Your phone is like a slot machine—it goes off and you get the dopamine hit to your frontal cortex that sends your reward receptors wild, then you get another, and another. The cycle is endless, and what effect does it really have on the individual?
Social Media and the Death of Society
In the end—there seems to be many problems that come with the internet, as with anything really. However, not all of it is bad. The internet connected people, it was able to give people access to endless amounts of information, all shared through Social Media and other sites on the internet. Literature, books, music, and movies—all consumed from the palm of our hands. We can get our news at the tips of our fingers and we can order dinner from an online app. We can even send someone across the ocean a message instantly, and keep an eye on our finances, friends, and families. We can even participate in the weird ‘social experiment’ of online dating. The possibilities are endless, it seems, and with the creation of Artificial Intelligence, the possibilities are endless. Who knows what the future of the techno-generation will bring. For those who grew up in the 90s, we watched all the movies that came out of that decade and the ones before it. We all saw the technological doomsday movies. We saw the rise of Social Media and the shifting of societal ‘reality’ within this nation, changing the perception of ‘our’ citizens entirely. Over a long enough timeline—if you are paying attention, you can start to notice the changes the internet and Social Media are making. But in the present moment, most people are distracted by the shiny screen and the endless Social Media feeds.
