The Fast and Slow Death of Social Media

the uptick, issue ii

All things must die.

Whether a social media platform will die a slow or fast death is dependent on how deeply it’s tied to user feedback loops.

So much of what’s visible (or discoverable) to me is dependent on a platform figuring out what I enjoy, and what I’m likely to interact with. But here’s the thing: there’s an inherent conflict between my short-term desires and my long-term interest. Shoutout to the philosophers who’ve been battling with this tension since forever. It’s time us media people thought about it too.

Every pleasurable thing I’m introduced to is marginally less pleasurable than its last instance. At first, it feels great when everything I see on my feed validates my own world-view. But that constructed (yet safe) world-view feels gross when I wake up one day realizing that half my country voted for a president who is fundamentally disagreeable to my world-view. So what did I do? I deleted Facebook from my phone and started reading again. Of course, this is my way of forgoing my short-term desires for my own long-term benefits.

If only Facebook’s feedback loops pushed against my short-term interests and had my long-term interest in mind as well. Sure, I may unfollow friends, and delete them if they’re that offensive to my world-view. It may be difficult for me to sit through a Facebook Live Trump speech. But deep down, I know that I should know about more.

Facebook feeds me content based on how I act towards it in the moment, but what I want in the moment is not always clearly aligned with what’s good for me in the long-term.

Of course, guidance and pushback are a lot to ask of a platform. But the alternative is that one day, a platform’s user base wakes up and feels disgust towards its entire brand. Aquire what you will, Facebook, but there is no coming back from disgust. 🙀😱😰