The Desensitizing Nature of Social Media

And at the same time, we’re deeply resistant to admitting when we’re being manipulated: whether we just can’t see it, we’re too busy enjoying the product, or we’re blinded by our resentment of those we consider somehow weaker than we are.

The Loop: How Technology is Creating a World Without Choice and How to Fight Back by Jacob Ward

Vox wrote an article on the misinformation being disseminated through TikTok and Instagram. It's really a saddening article to read. Coupled with my recent reading through The Loop its just a reminder how easily the social media companies feast on our every movement within their platforms without any regard of the information presented.

They learn our every movements and surface content that will keep us in their app. The slightest pause, the scrolling back up to see it again, clicking a link, reading a comment, pausing and watching again. All these movements signal that something caught our eye. You're bound to get more of the same desensitizing content over and over. Slowly overtime it affects how we see the world in our day-to-day lives.