Social Media Manipulates, Divides and Harms Democracy

iGuRu.gr > Social Media Manipulates, Divides and Harms Democracy

More and more people believe that social media manipulates and divides the world, as and that they harm democracy, according to a Pew Research Center report on Thursday, reflecting growing concern and heightened scrutiny globally.

Companies that operate popular social media platforms like Meta, Snap and TikTok have faced thousands of lawsuits and paid large sums of money to settle claims over harm they caused to users, while governments are looking for ways to guarantee the privacy of their citizens.

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Australia has proposed rules that would allow users to opt out of algorithmically determined content streams, becoming the first country to ban social media use by children under 16.

A recent Pew survey found that 82% of adults in Australia support the government’s initiative to restrict children’s access to social media. According to the report, the majority of respondents said that social media informs citizens and gives them a voice in political events, but there was a significant increase in the number of those who now see it as a “negative phenomenon” compared to 2022.

Citizens in wealthier countries, such as the US, Canada and the UK, are more likely to believe that social media harms democracy, compared to citizens of countries with lower GDP per capita, such as Ghana, Kenya and Nigeria.

The US is among the countries with the most skepticism, as 64% of adults surveyed said social media harms democracy.

The percentage of people who believe social media has a negative impact on democracy has increased in 16 of the 26 countries for which previous data was available. Pew Research said it surveyed more than 45.000 people in 37 countries, while also asking an additional 5.511 adults in the U.S. about their use of social media in the country.