Ferdinand Tonnies and Karl Marx believed collective human effort leads to producing new qualities in society, either non-physical or material. Tonnies advocated for a community that cultivates feelings of belonging, mutual dependence, and togetherness. Marx believed in the importance of collaborative human labor as it pertains to producing economic goods. Thus, “social media” is defined as sites facilitating human connection (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr) and collaborative information production (Wikipedia, Google Docs). However, Marx warns that these human drives are liable to exploitation by capitalists.
This particular model is useful in its description of social media because it highlights the essential human social drives that make social media popular and also the danger of those drives being exploited for commercial gain. As all social media is owned by massive corporations that actively mine users for data and manipulate them with intricate algorithms and advertising, Marx’s theories seem more pertinent than ever. As the internet becomes the primary mode of human existence, it becomes necessary to analyze the goals and methods of the few companies that control it.
However, in some aspects, this model does not ideally describe the current social media experience. Humans are driven not only by kinship but also by my ego. Instagram’s most popular social media site is primarily an attempt to show off how much better your life is than others. It fosters feelings of inadequacy and social isolation rather than cohesion. Furthermore, as much as it fulfills people’s yearning for connection and collaboration, it also offers a free space to anonymously express your worst qualities. Unnecessary negativity, cyberbullying, and general malicious behavior abound. In 2021, the internet was viewed as both a unifying and destructive force for society.