The Depressing Reality Of Living In A Social Media Monopoly

The past few years have been an absolute PR nightmare for most social media companies.

From privacy concerns, to the weaponizing of bots to spread disinformation while site owners look the other way, to providing a platform where hate speech and radicalization thrive - it hasn’t been great for giants like Facebook and Twitter recently.

That’s not taking into account the smaller, but still problematic issues that plague every social media platform. Algorithms controlling content all in the name of advertising dollars; front-running by promoting large companies and popular “influencers” at the expense of smaller businesses and artists. The very addictive nature of getting likes/comments/follows, and the subsequent dopamine crash when you don’t. Or, when you think everyone else around you are living better, happier, more fulfilling lives - because they’ve curated their feed in such a way that invokes those emotions, pushing some people into a genuine depression.

All of those things differ in their levels of severity, but by far the biggest problem of them all - is that there’s very little we can do about any of those things.

We’re already in too deep.

We’re living in a social media monopoly. A world where a limited number of companies control it all.

Facebook has taken blow after devastating PR blow; from their role in allowing a hostile foreign power to use bots in a successful attempt to spread fake news and propaganda, to the scarily invasive amount of user data they store and sell to anyone who asks for it.

But what’s the alternative to Facebook - Myspace? How many apps nowadays require a Facebook account to use? How many of us would still keep in touch with the family members and semi-estranged friends we currently do, if we didn’t have Facebook?

Sure, you can choose to leave, and plenty do; but there’s no alternative to them if you were still looking for a similar, yet ultimately safer/less evil platform to migrate to. It’s either Facebook, or nothing.

Twitter provides nazis, right wing extremists, other hate groups, and troll bots, a safe haven to spread their hate and disinformation. Sometimes, they’ll even temporarily suspend users who negatively engage with such accounts, if they use aggressive enough language. Meaning you can get suspended if you call someone a “fucking nazi,” but the actual fucking nazi gets to keep tweeting. 

And again, as much as it sucks, where are you gonna go? What other platform allows for companies, celebrities, politicians, and everyday people to microblog about the world in real time, on a massive scale the way that Twitter does?

Instagram is the place for photos and stories (sorry, Snapchat). They also have the worst algorithm of any social media platform and it’s not even close. But if you’re a fashion blogger, or a photographer, or an aspiring model - where else can you grow a following as big and as quickly as you can on Instagram where if the algorithm gods favor you, the trajectory of your life can change dramatically?

You’re not gonna quit Instagram because it sucks 95% of the time. That happy 5% where you follow your favorite celebs and comment on their pictures like you know them personally, network with artists and brands, bask in your own self importance by posting stories (that only you care about), getting likes and flattering comments and envisioning one day going viral, all keep you on the app - and there’s nowhere else for you to go to get that euphoric, dopamine-releasing 5%.

Tumblr recently decided, out of nowhere, that it’s going to stop allowing NSFW content of any kind on their site. This will devastate erotic artists, sex workers, and anyone sexually curious/confused/insecure, particularly those in the LGBTQ community.

Don’t like it? Want to show them you disagree with their decision to ban anything they deem explicit? Great. Where are you gonna go? What rival site can handle the same volume of users/traffic, operates using a similar interface, and carries a similar weight of brand recognition?

Every popular platform serves a niche function, and in the process, destroys all competitors. 

Want to keep in touch with distant friends and family? Facebook.

Want to blog or keep up on the day’s events in real time? Twitter.

Want to post pictures and stories? Instagram.

Want to watch videos? Youtube.

Want to run a creative blog with a healthy blend of gifs, pictures, and text? Tumblr.

Want to make a mood board? Pinterest.

Want to shop for unique, often handcrafted goodies? Etsy.

Regardless of how much those apps may suck, regardless of how much data they’re secretly storing, regardless of the changes they make that nobody asked for, regardless of the shameless allegiance to their shareholders and advertisers at the expense of their users - you’ve got two choices: Use them, or don’t.

There’s no rival site/app you can run to, to show your disdain and force these companies to improve their product.

We are the product. And there’s plenty of us to go around. 

Even if you leave in a symbolic gesture of self righteousness, there’s another hundred people creating an account to the same site you just left.

The beast is too big to take down. Too big to fail.

That’s what happens when you live in a monopoly. 

There is no fair choice. No competition. No alternatives. Only the illusion of such.