The significance of discussing social media platforms and their impact lies in their prominent role in influencing societal and global trajectories in terms of individual, social, cultural, economic, and political aspects, among other important facets of human societies.
According to a statistics published by 'Statista' there are an estimated 4.95 billion social media users worldwide in 2023, with projections suggesting this number could rise to 5.85 billion by 2027. The same source noted that the number of Internet users reached 5.3 billion in 2023. Facebook leads the pack in terms of monthly active users, followed by YouTube, WhatsApp, and Instagram; a Forbes article, citing 'Statista,' reported approximately 2.9 billion monthly active users for Facebook, 2.5 billion for YouTube, and 2 billion each for WhatsApp and Instagram. According to the same source, up to 84 per cent of the 18-29 age group uses at least one social media platform, and statistics also showed that about 39 per cent of social media users in the United States admit to being addicted to social media and excessively interacting with it. Conversely, data published in Forbes indicate that social media platforms earned $207.10 billion from advertising in 2023, with profits expected to reach $247.30 billion by 2027.
The statistics and figures mentioned in the previous paragraph underscore the significant impact that social media can have due to the large number of users and subscribers who drive the wealth of these platforms' owners. This comes not only through visible and official means like commercial advertising but also through less visible means, such as profiting from users' private and public data.
In 2018, a scandal was uncovered where Facebook sold user data to Cambridge Analytica for political and advertising purposes without users' consent or knowledge. The objectives of social media platforms extend beyond financial gains and data collection and sale; they also systematically influence - mostly negatively - the intellectual orientations of individuals and societies in most areas of life, including politics, economics, and culture. The collective impact on societies is significant, especially among teenagers and young adults. This is evident in many real-world examples, such as significant collective behavioural shifts and the formation of a collective mindset that follows a virtual pattern, leading to the spread of globalised ideas that override local customs and cultures. This has resulted in negative manifestations such as behaviours and trends that clash with the values and traditions of some societies, the spread of atheism and unrestrained freedom, the easy spread and acceptance of rumours by the collective mind, and the fragmentation of public opinion, thereby disconnecting the collective mindset from reality and engaging it with a less credible virtual reality.
Despite the risks posed by social media to individuals and societies, there are positive aspects to these platforms, such as global social interaction among diverse individuals, communities, and cultures, and the dissemination of knowledge, facts, and events without restrictions or censorship, as seen in conflicts like the Gaza war. However, these positives do not absolve social media platforms from their predominantly negative impacts. These platforms have fuelled political and sectarian conflicts through the unregulated flow of published information, often of unknown origin. They have become security tools for some states with political and economic agendas, launching cyber wars and spreading fake news to influence public opinion for political and economic gains. With advanced digital tools like artificial intelligence models capable of creating fake content, it has become easier to spread such content, written, visual, or auditory, across social media platforms, thereby destabilising individuals' and societies' cognitive processes and leading them into a maelstrom of scattered and contradictory ideas, creating ideologically influenced individuals and societies disconnected from their real-world context.
Today, we are facing a digital deluge that encompasses social media, and it's difficult to prevent the negative impacts associated with these platforms. However, it is possible to mitigate these risks by spreading community awareness regarding how we use these platforms and interact with them. It's important for everyone to understand that these platforms operate within the realm of financial profit and the pursuit of interests of all kinds.
Oman Observer is now on the WhatsApp channel. Click here
