Facebook: A build-your-own Orwellian nightmare

Every single time there is a great tragedy, my Facebook friends begin the I-can’t-believe-other-people-have-opinions status updates or the sharing of far-right send-them-back posts. 2015 was a particularly good year for this, with the mass-shooting in Paris, the groundswell of support for the #blacklivesmatter movement, and the recent mass ‘migrant’ sexual assault in Cologne.

The past three years have been dominated by stories of race, religion, and migration. Which, for most, are incredibly divisive as subjects. It’s hard to talk about these issues because of the strength of people’s views. On both sides, there are beliefs held that won’t bend to any sort of reason or fact. Those on the right feel threatened by the potential influx of other-ness, whilst those on the left are blinded by their sense of duty.

The state of communication is such that as soon as something happens, people need to show that they’re as informed as the rest of us. And how does this translate into our modern world? Facebook posts. Whenever something shocking happens we, as a species, fall back on learned behaviour. Regardless of your political learning, this learned behaviour is fear, and when we’re scared we make bad decisions.

We are all Social Justice Warriors

Here’s the worst thing about the closeted racists, xenophobes, and bigots; they’re trying to fight perceived social injustice. When people repost these poorly researched ‘facts’ and false statistics, what they are trying to do is help people make an informed decision about the future of society.

Similarly, when people start unfriending people and then share that fact with their remaining friends, they’re trying to help others behave ‘properly’. What they’re saying to the world is, “Other people have views that are wrong and unacceptable. If you have these views, you no longer deserve a voice. Change or be silenced.”

Both of these actions come from a misguided attempt to make the world a better place. Both the left and the right think that what they are doing will further sociological or economic gains for the country. Both sides think that what the other side‘s opinion is naïve and illogical, both sides think that the other is weak and unrealistic, both sides think that the other is part of what’s ruining the country.

The situation is made worse by the proliferation of troll culture, in which people will intentionally try and make people angry by disagreeing with someone’s post. So the social media gods of Facebook and Twitter have granted you the power to never see something you disagree with ever again.

Beyond good and evil

After the attacks on Paris, the cycle of racism and unfriending was particularly vitriolic. A staggering amount of grotesque, ignorant, and just plain incorrect material was plastered all over my newsfeed. I couldn’t believe that people I had gone to school with could be so vile. So, I did what my Mum had always encouraged me to do, and I “just ignored them”. Thankfully, Facebook has an “unfollow” button which makes ignoring people so easy.

However, I didn’t press that button. Instead, I thought about the necessity of dichotomy. Without evil there can be no good, without wrong there can be no right, without fear there can be no courage. Without these Facebook posts, there can be no discussion.

I can’t hide from the fact that people have the opposite opinion to me, and I wouldn’t even want to. The best thing you can be in this world is wrong. It’s only when you’re wrong that you learn something new.

For example, whenever the Tories announce some baffling new economic policy or poorly conceived austerity measure, I’m willing to concede that it’s a good idea. I spend more time looking for data that supports that decision than I do finding data that supports my opinion because I would love to be wrong.

The power of ideas

By intentionally preventing opinions that we disagree with entering our mind space we stop our ability to grow. We trap ourselves in a circlejerk with everyone stroking each other’s ego.[For this part to work you have to use your nuh-nuh voice] “Oh look how progressive and politically correct we’re being,” “Other people have opinions that we can’t learn anything from, nuh,” “There are things we don’t understand about the nature of people, but it doesn’t matter because we’re obviously correct about everything”.

If I had to choose between only seeing posts from the racists or the unfrienders, I would choose the racists every single time. At least, the racists are willing to engage in some sort of debate, rather than hide behind the wall of superiority.

In George Orwell’s 1984, part of the reason the populace couldn’t escape their fate was because they had removed the language necessary to do so. We now have the power to do this to ourselves, and what’s more, we indulge in doing it.

A few years ago, people were very worried about the BNP coming to office. The party did so well that their then leader, Nick Griffin, went on Question Time. He got annihilated. It was only because he was forced to engage in a real discussion that everyone saw how misguided and incompetent he was.

Celebrate the fact that people can have such varying opinions about the world. Celebrate the fact that we can have a discussion about socialism, capitalism, and communism and not get sent to prison. Celebrate the fact that, above all else, there is more to the world than what you think to be true.

Thanks for reading, I also write about how to become wealthy over at Five Years to Financial Freedom.