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Discuss the meaning of Snyder’s observation that, “Within the two-dimensional internet world, new collectivities have arisen, invisible by the light of day – tribes with distinct world views beholden to manipulation.” Reflect on your own use of the internet. Are you a good citizen when you are online or have you participated in some of the negative practices the author describes? How could you improve your own online presence?
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Any content posted to social media is beholden to the algorithms that underly it. No matter how many likes and shares, content can be boosted or suppressed according to the code deployed by the owners of the platform. And manipulation extends outside of these platforms now too. I recently did an experiment where I was talking with a friend and said I wanted to travel to Wyoming. I mentioned Wyoming a dozen times. I made sure to have my smartphone on the table when I was talking. Within an hour I saw an ad on FB promoting tourism in Wyoming. I was surprised at the monitoring going on from my phone. If that happens when I’m talking about something like that, I can only imagine what would happen if I interacted with certain political posts. What would I end up seeing by the end of the week?
When I’m online, I’m careful not to engage in negative behaviour or language and keep a close eye on the language and messaging of the post, the news, or comments, I’m reading. I rarely click on “news” that I see in my social feeds. That’s because a high number appear to be trying to get me to click their headlines, and that’s immediately a red flag that there might be something illegitimate going on. I’ve started to see an increased number of “news” posts that look like they are from legitimate news outlets, but they are actually phishing sites. For instance, I’ve started to see a high number of strange posts with questionable URLs trying to imitate the CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corp.) in relation to our upcoming election.
AI is making deepfakes, phishing, bots, and other impersonations even more dangerous, so I try to stay vigilant. I only go directly to the news channels I like and bypass clicking on links on social media unless I have carefully vetted the address and information. Nowadays, I’m on BCF for the most part and don’t really engage on social media.
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There is a lot to unpack in this chapter.
The internet provides a sense of anonymity or distance that speaking to someone in real time, someone one can see and hear does not afford. I think for some people, that sense of anonymity conveys a sense of freedom to say what they wish. Certainly, that is not true of everyone, but I believe there are people willing to endorse or speak prejudice and hate because there is no one standing before them to respond in real time, no one to refute what they say, no one who asked them to raise their right hand and affirm they are speaking truthfully. That is how I see the “two-dimensional” world of the internet.
The algorithm on Meta is unsettling to me, to say the least. And I have set every possible privacy control offered. But, as has Jane Richmond has pointed out, there is power in a click. Using that framework, I strategically click and follow the people whose research, writing, scholarship and opinions I respect.
Finally, I have more respect for reporters and outlets who publish corrections. As Snyder points out, people make mistakes even when they are operating in good faith. It is the willingness to acknowledge that which tells me a resource and reporter can be trusted. This reminds me of a humorous account related by a former co-worker. A flight she was going to take was delayed for a repair of the plane. A woman in line loudly announced she did not want to fly on a plane that was being repaired. My co-worker, a woman known for blunt speaking, announced, “I don’t want to fly on a plane that has NOT been repaired.” Similarly, I don’t want to read a publication that has never issued a correction.
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I have left Meta and I was never on Twitter/X. Certainly, the more we learn about it, the more we realize how destructive the platforms are. I have seen several calls for regulation of social media now, but that is definitely not happening with the current US administration, which means that unless something changes, the will be able to control minds and votes.
I certainly understand the two-dimensional aspect of the internet – a name and a profile photo is all we see when there are billions on a platform. Usually, we don’t even look at the name and photo, but only respond to the photo or perhaps a comment. In some spaces the names and photos have opportunity to grow more meaning, and I think that is the benefit of a book club where more in-depth conversations can be had. And indeed are expected. I am grateful that this community has attracted such intelligent and well-spoken members.
I enjoyed your story Jane and applaud your former co-worker for her wit and clever response. Admitting mistakes means we are human and can learn and grow, and I too have great respect for those who can recognize their own mistakes and own them.
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