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Make things better by making better things.
No one is surprised to read another headline that Facebook messed up or lied to its consumers or is spreading disinformation or that it isn’t good for our mental health.
It’s because most of us don’t give Facebook the benefit of the doubt anymore. We don’t trust them even if you still have an account (like me).
As a result, we say, “Facebook again…”
However, the benefits of Facebook, at least in some of our minds, far out way the disadvantages. That some who use it as a way to stay “informed” can simultaneously believe that big corporations are controlling the media and will still go there to consume it.
How can a product that brings so much unhappiness still have such a hold on the public? Yes, it is addicting. Yes, it plays on our evolutionary biology. Yes, it is designed to keep us on the hook. But I think the part that is most difficult to break from is the fear of missing out. That we don’t know what other people are speaking about around the water cooler. You don’t need to watch the Bachelorette to know something controversial happened. Your feed will let you know if it went viral enough.
When our lives become so boring that we need social media to make them more interesting, we have a problem. It’s ironic really when our lives are rich and fulfilled, there is no hole for social media to fill.