The Dehumanization of Social Media

We were once under the impression that social media would be the universal salve.

The great connector that would tie people together from across the globe.

The secret formula that would allow customers to speak with brands and would give brands the power to see us as individuals, not as numbers.

But it hasn’t really worked out that way, has it?

A quote from a recent article in The Atlantic gave me pause:

“Social media has flooded our consciousness with caricatures of each other. Human beings are reduced to data, and data nearly always underrepresent reality. The result is this great flattening of human life and human complexity… Human detail gets lost in the algorithm. Thus humanity gives way to ideology.”

If we, as individuals, can’t even see past the surface details of each other, how much can we expect of brands?

Is it reasonable to expect our data to give way to more personal experiences if those experiences are dependent on algorithms? And if so, will those experiences live up to our deeply held expectations?

I think we already know the answer to those questions.

The question that remains is this: are you ready to put more work into relationships?

Because that’s the only thing that’s going to improve our outlook on each other.

Scott writes about Timeless & Timely matters at scottmonty.com.