Voting with likes

Meta Platforms, the owner of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp reported results last night, so we tracked down a recent survey about how people view social media. Social media is a good thing for democracy, say 57% of people surveyed by Pew Research in nineteen developed economies. About 70% say the internet and social media has made people more informed about current events in their own and other countries, a positive outcome. However, 84% also say that social media has made it easy for people to be manipulated with false information and rumors. Another 65% say people are more divided in their opinions due to social media. The US is a clear outlier in this survey as 64% of people say social media is a bad thing for democracy. We have some doubts about the implications of this survey, because many social media users, especially younger ones, mainly use it for entertainment or keeping up with friends through TikTok, Instagram or Snapchat.

Source: Pew Research Center, Spring 2022. Excluding people who did not answer.