2024 was rich in striking events fueled by click-bait headlines, many of which were later found to be misleading or outright nonsense. For example, some of the most accredited news organizations in the world, such as the New York Times, spread misleading information about riots taking place in Amsterdam on November 7th. The initial story on social media evoked memories of Nazi Germany’s Kristallnacht and caught the attention of professional journalists who grew up learning about Anne Frank hiding in Amsterdam. As more footage emerged, the same journalists realized, too late, that the riots involved many sides and were not primarily fueled by antisemitic hatred. Although the mistakes in these articles were understandable and most organizations appropriately corrected them, the global audience could no longer unite behind a common narrative. Those already alarmed by rising antisemitism adhered to the initial story, while critics of Israel gravitated toward the more nuanced version. The result was a victory for those who hoped to sow terror and suspicion among worldviews, nationalities, body features, habits, and customs.
Similar tribalism challenged Western ideals of democracy, justice, and governance throughout the past year. Several elections were marked by surges in opposition candidates promising to restore stability and order. Sometimes these pledges included near-authoritarian measures, such as mass evictions, curtailments of free speech, and offenses against minorities. Social media often amplified these radical pledges, recommending them to userbases most likely to provide interactions. Particularly among younger demographics, social media platforms have become central to news consumption; according to Pew Research Center (2024), 52% of Americans aged 18–29 use TikTok as a source of news. It appears, then, that the future of democracy relies heavily on AI-driven networking applications.
The largest social media platforms are problematic, particularly due to their ability to deliver endless amounts of news content in highly interactive formats. Human curiosity struggles to resist the allure of learning more about a topic that continuously sparks excitement, even when the content devolves into pseudo-scientific conspiracies. Moreover, these platforms create an illusion of a level-playing field where anyone can gain influence by providing entertaining content. With enough interaction, individuals begin to believe that the “Hive” community—their network of followers and contributors—demands even further contributions and favors. In extreme cases, the real world becomes a continuation of the Hive, where even private life is recorded to produce the most engaging material for others.
Social media platforms have hardly witnessed significant change during 2024 when compared to previous years. The field continues to be dominated by key players who have capacity to both explore new technologies and copy-paste the advances of their competitors. To stay relevant for wide userbase, the major platforms have converged in terms of their outlook and functions. The process echoes earlier waves of technological innovation, where young people initially embraced “cool” new tools only to watch older generations follow, much to their dismay. The past year did show, however, that social media platforms are struggling to accommodate for polarized political views. Some effects of this strain are visible: several countries have pledged to protect children from social media’s harms, using methods ranging from age limits to outright platform bans. Similarly, the proliferation of AI-generated content is gradually eroding the meaningfulness of social media itself. As AI content dominates, people might prefer high-quality interactions with real-life friends over spending time with strangers—who may not even exist.
Despite these concerns about media platforms, I remain optimistic about the future. Younger generations of news enthusiasts might be misguided by global influencers who disregard traditional journalistic ethics. These influencers often claim to reveal “Deep Truths” that professional journalists allegedly suppress. Nevertheless, social media platforms provide global connections on an unprecedented scale, which we almost take for granted. Whether or not younger generations are ill-guided, they are undeniably the most networked in history. Their lives embody globalization, and they recognize that prosperity cannot be achieved in isolation.
Edit (20.1.2025): The original post argued that social media companies did not witness significant transformation during the past year. However, the rise of Trump was aided by the newly reconfigured X which amplified aggressive content. Currently, it seems like Meta plans to follow on the same footsteps by promoting more political content and less moderation. The changes have enormous consequences, since Meta owns some of the largest social media platforms out there, Facebook and Instagram. In addition, president-elect Trump has promised to negotiate TikTok under American ownership from Chinese. In the end, the largest social media platforms are likely to become even more divisive as Trump era kicks on.
saukotuksia 
What’s your view?