Introduction
The social infrastructure changes in response to each advancement in technology. The popularization and near worldwide dissemination of social media have meaningfully impacted modern society. Today, a global community is formed through social networking services as people from different parts of the world can engage with each other.
Discussion
2004, the year of the invention of the social media platform, Facebook, can be viewed as the turning point in global social infrastructure. The Facebook creator, Mark Zucker, argues that the contemporary society connected through social media can address global problems if it is stirred towards being safe, civically engaged, informed, and inclusive (Zuckerberg). Nevertheless, the idea of a global community formed through social media can be argued to be somewhat misguided. Social media is associated with the normalization of harmful behaviors, encourages social comparison, and adversely impacts mental health (Abi-Jaoude et al. 136). Furthermore, the strive towards a global community through social media can be viewed as a logical fallacy as means of accessing it, including smartphones and computers, are not available for many (Taylor and Silver 18). In addition, digital connections and social networking sites are more common among higher-income individuals, resulting in large sections of society being excluded from this model of a global community (Taylor and Silver 18). Thus, social media platforms are unlikely to create a social infrastructure for the community that can be safe or inclusive. There are three reasons that support this. First, a large proportion of the population is excluded as some populations have no access to the Internet or choose not to participate in social media. Second, social media promotes negative experiences, such as damaging comparisons and cyberbullying, that are difficult to tackle.
Conclusion
Finally, an online social infrastructure may prevent people from accessing all pertinent information on a topic, as some views may be deemed unfit for public consumption by moderators.
Works Cited
Abi-Jaoude, Elia, et al. “Smartphones, Social Media Use and Youth Mental Health.” Canadian Medical Association Journal, vol. 192, no. 6, 2020, pp. 136-141.
Taylor, Kyle, and Laura Silver. Smartphone Ownership Is Growing Rapidly Around the World, but Not Always Equally. Pew Research Center, 2019.
Zuckerberg, Mark. “Building Global Community.” Facebook, 2017, Web.