Summary

Social media toxicity is primarily driven by our brains' natural tendency towards social categorization and in-group bias, exacerbated by the platform's engagement-driven algorithms.

Abstract

The article suggests that the toxicity prevalent on social media platforms is not solely due to filter bubbles but rather the diversity of opinions online, which clash with our innate social categorization mechanisms. These mechanisms, which include in-group bias, are remnants of our evolutionary past and can lead to polarization and conflict when exposed to the vast array of social groups on the internet. The design of social media platforms, which prioritize engagement, often promote content that elicits strong emotions like anger, further fueling division. The article proposes that by understanding these cognitive weaknesses, we can work towards building a less divisive web through the creation of small, interest-based communities and by focusing on commonalities rather than differences.

Opinions

Social media platforms have a detrimental impact on mental health and are linked to increased polarization and political extremism.
The initial theory of filter bubbles as the cause of online polarization has been challenged by evidence suggesting that exposure to a wide range of opinions is more problematic.
Our brains use social categorization to make sense of different social groups, which can lead to bias and discrimination, as well as a tendency to favor our own group (in-group bias).
The Robbers Cave experiment is cited as an example of how even arbitrary distinctions between groups can lead to conflict.
The internet's engagement-driven model, which thrives on anger and negative emotions, exacerbates social media toxicity.
Solutions to mitigate online toxicity include creating small communities based on shared interests and avoiding unnecessary online arguments to prevent negative categorization of others.
Emphasizing common ground can help individuals accept differences and counteract the negative effects of in-group bias.
The article advocates for a conscious effort to build a better internet, acknowledging that while challenging, it is a worthwhile endeavor.

Why Is Social Media So Toxic?

No, it’s not because of online filter bubbles.

If social media has left you stressed out and isolated, you’re not alone.

Many social media platforms can have detrimental effects on mental health. Not only this, but social media use has links to polarization and political extremism.

Initially, researchers proposed filter bubbles as an explanation for this effect. However, recent evidence shows that the overwhelming diversity of opinion present online may be the true culprit.

Our Brains Weren’t Designed For This

The human brain uses a mechanism called social categorization to make sense of different social groups. According to the article The Development of Social Categorization by Marjorie Rhodes and Andrew Baron, we even “learn to categorize by race within the first year of life.”

This ability isn’t inherently bad. For example, a strong sense of racial identity may help Black teenagers to handle racism. Social categorization can also lead to bias and discrimination, though.

For example, this categorization often results in bias towards members of our own group. Researchers refer to this effect as in-group bias. Rhodes and Baron also mention that infants seem to expect people to “help the in-group even when that help comes in the form of harming the out-group.”

Back in hunter-gatherer times, when our survival depended on the survival of our social group, this helped us. However, we’re also more likely to form bias against people outside our social group — even if the distinctions between our social groups are meaningless.

For example, in the Robbers Cave experiment, researchers sorted adolescent boys attending a summer camp into two random groups. This resulted in these two groups becoming “so aggressive with each other that the researchers had to physically separate them.” While this experiment differs from real-life conflicts, it still shows how even a meaningless distinction between social groups can lead to conflict.

Combined, these factors create the conditions for polarization and toxicity online — and social media exacerbates the problem.

How Social Media Toxicity Starts

While you might think that being exposed to more beliefs and experiences online is a good thing, the way our brain works undermines any hope of learning from these discussions.

When disagreeing with someone from a different background, we’re more likely to dismiss what they have to say. Meanwhile, if someone from our social group does something bad or shares a flawed opinion, we’re more likely to believe it.

The internet is also driven by engagement, and anger drives engagement most of all. It doesn’t matter how negatively you feel about the content in question, only how long you stay on the platform engaging with that content.

So, is there any way to solve this problem?

How We Can Build a Less Divisive Web

Once we know the weaknesses of our brains, we can take steps to counteract those weaknesses.

Building small communities based on shared interests, for example, takes advantage of your brain’s in-group bias. Even if someone within this group has some differences from you, you still see them as part of your social group now, and that makes it easier for you to focus on what you do have in common rather than what you don’t.

Meanwhile, avoiding online arguments protects your brain from overwhelm and makes it less likely for you to categorize everyone on the other side as terrible people. Remember, the people with those bad opinions online don’t speak for everyone who happens to share something in common with them. Social media amplifies the voices that cause the most vitriol.

Focusing on what you have in common rather than your differences may even make it easier for you to actually accept those differences. This is part of how we can take advantage of our in-group bias, since we are more likely to listen to those we consider part of our group without immediately dismissing them.

Building a better internet won’t be easy — but it’s worth it.