Social networks are useful because they simplify contacts with the world. But they also harm us, changing human communication for the worse, says evolutionary psychologist Glenn Geher. Why is the expert sure that social networks bring discord and negativity to our world?
It is hard to imagine that quite recently we did well without social networks and instant messengers and communicated with loved ones “live” or wrote letters to each other on paper. Today, we cannot give up our smartphone even for an hour, and scientists are seriously talking about addiction to gadgets and social networks.
Evolutionary psychologist Glenn Geher admits that he himself is completely dependent on both. But he worries that modern ways of communicating are having a strong—and not the most favorable—impact on our world.
Looking at human behavior in terms of evolution, Geher writes about the so-called “evolutionary mismatch”, which is directly related to social networks. It implies that the realities of modernity do not coincide with the hereditary conditions under which the evolution of the organism took place.
In other words, the most famous social networks in the world that Geher studied do not correspond to the types of communication that have been used in society for many centuries. For over 99% of our evolutionary history, he says, we’ve had face-to-face interactions with people we know. Social networks have relieved us of this need, and this has not affected us in the best way.
Glen Geher identified the harmful factors associated with the active use of social networks, and analyzed the consequences.
1. Social media provides anonymity, which allows people to be rude. When a person has the opportunity to hide behind a mask, he begins to think that everything is allowed to him. After all, he is no longer him. A person loses his personality, tries on someone else’s, or even acts as an anonymous person. Research in the field of social psychology shows that in such a situation, he is less motivated to behave like a human being. And social networks provide complete freedom and anonymity for the first time in the history of mankind.
2. Social media creates unhealthy social echo chambers. What does it mean? Certain ideas, beliefs are reinforced or reinforced by the transmission of a message or its repetition within a closed system (party, circle of like-minded people, subculture).
How does this manifest itself in reality?
“If you consider yourself a liberal, then most likely you belong to groups that support liberal views. They reinforce your beliefs in every possible way. If you are a conservative, then you are likely to be in communities, social media groups that reinforce and share your opinions and principles. Social media is able to create massive echo chambers, unwittingly adding fuel to the fire of the growing political polarization that is tearing the world apart,” writes Geher.
3. Social media can ruin your life in one second. How many impulsive tweets or social media posts have already hurt people.
In 2018, actress Roseanne Barr posted a very questionable and impulsive tweet in the middle of the night that led to the closure of her series, a sitcom with record viewership. And those who follow the news know that this is not an isolated case.
Modern technologies make us take a fresh look at the statement “you can’t run away from the past”
Today we have the opportunity to broadcast our thoughts to the whole world, which our ancestors never could. On the one hand, it is easier for us to rally around a noble idea, but on the other hand, we do not give ourselves time to think about what we are going to communicate.
4. Social networks provoke infidelity in a couple. Mobile phones help maintain relationships with romantic partners. However, modern research shows that social networks allow cheating without even leaving the apartment, and make infidelity more and more easy and tempting.
5. Social networks are ideal platforms for cyberbullying. A recent survey conducted by the Pew Research Center found that the vast majority of teenagers were victims of cyberbullying.
Given the ease with which people can express their thoughts and ideas on social networks, open access to them is a serious concern for teenagers, writes Glenn Geher. “Unfortunately, cyberbullying often leads to problems of an emotional and mental nature and in many cases has tragic consequences,” the expert says.
6. Social media is broadcasting our lives. In the social environment we inherited, we could learn from our mistakes and just move on. These days, bugs are often written down and made public.
In fact, almost everything is recorded and published on social networks. When a fight breaks out at school, bystanders immediately take out their phones and start broadcasting what is happening, instead of breaking up the fights. Such videos become constant reminders of embarrassing situations that you want to forget and leave in the past.
Modern technologies make us take a fresh look at the statement “you can’t run away from the past”.
7. Mobile phones are addictive. Social networks give us a lot of psychological reinforcements. People can create social bonds. Maintain a romantic or even sexual relationship. Post a text or photo and get hundreds and thousands of likes in a few minutes.
Social networks provide an opportunity to throw a person out of your circle without explaining anything and without giving a chance to justify
“Research on this type of addiction confirms that when it comes to our mobile phones and social networks, we are almost all crazy,” says Geher.
8. The real world has become less interesting than the virtual one. “When our children were small, my wife and I tried to go camping with them as often as possible. The kids weren’t always happy. These days they don’t love nature as much as we did. After all, virtual worlds that can be found on mobile phones and other devices are much brighter and more attractive. And you can do whatever you want with them. But scientific research proves that being in nature is a fundamental and necessary part of the human experience,” writes Geher.
9. Social exclusion happens in one click. Recent studies in Geher’s laboratory have shown that modern methods of social exclusion cause enormous damage to the emotional state and reputation of a person.
Social exclusion occurs when a person or group of people decides that someone else is persona non grata and removes them from their friends list.
Social networks make it possible to throw a person out of their circle without explaining anything and without giving a chance to justify themselves. All platforms have different ways to “hide” others, “unfollow”, “block” or “ignore”. And these features are regularly used by both adults and teenagers.
On the one hand, it helps to get rid of toxic people. But on the other hand, the procedure itself is too simple and there is a great temptation to break off relations with anyone whose opinion does not coincide with yours with one movement of the hand.
10. New opportunities for dishonest “marriage games” have appeared. Social media has had a huge impact on the biological process of mating.
“In a love relationship, it is important to show your best side, and today there are more than enough opportunities for this. As well as for deception and exaggeration. In the old conditions of communication, people met potential partners in person, seeing them for who they really are, and listening to their spontaneous and largely unprepared utterances.
Now you can choose and put your best photo on the avatar. Or use some filter to make it look better. You can write text for your profile on a dating site for several days, carefully editing it and asking for the opinion of friends. And you can lie about yourself to look better than you really are – we all know such cases, ”Geher writes.
The dark side of technology
“Undoubtedly, social media technologies help people find like-minded people, new and old friends, meet and create families, regardless of geographical boundaries. But if we talk about the impact on the modern world as a whole, social networks have a dark side, ”says Glenn Geher.
A person in social networks can intimidate, betray, hate, humiliate, and at the same time feel absolutely unpunished.
“Technologies are developing, they cannot be stopped, and one can only hope that people, entering the new world, will remember the laws of evolution and try to mitigate the negative impact of social networks on human-to-human communication,” writes Geher.
About the Author: Glen Geher is a New York University professor of evolutionary psychology.