Summary of this topic
- The main negative issue of the current Social Media is increased social comparison, increased envy. It has negative impact on individual and society.
- The main driver for increased social comparison are Monolithic Social Profiles, that limit ability to asymmetric replies to cues of social comparison.
- Social Media based on advertising business model cannot afford to refuse to use Monolithic Social Profiles in a competitive market.
- Monolithic Social Profiles are especially harmful when used to represent Base/Main Digital Identity (currently Facebook).
- Social Media platform that is used to create and maintain Base Digital Identity (currently Facebook) should allow people to use Compartmentalized Social Profiles for this or be replaced with new generation Social Media built on not advertising based business model.
Causal pathway
Social Media built on Advertising Business Model >> Incentives to engage user as much as possible >> Encouraging social comparison >> Encouraging envy spirals >> Limiting ability for asymmetric replies to cues of social comparison >> Monolithic Social Profiles >> Negative impact on individual and society.
Impact of monolithic profiles:
-
Individual level
– Increased antisocial envy, that harms wellbeing of enviers and envied.
– Narrow and shallow representation of human personality -
Societal level
– Narrow and shallow discussions, understanding of human personality
– Too much focus on “shallow things”; inability for society to shift focus to more “important things”.
Base Digital Identity
Base Digital Identity is the main representation of human individual. It is by people to find each other, present themselves and “understand” each other. People cannot refuse to have Base Digital Identity.
Currently, Facebook acts as a provider of Base Digital Identity. This makes it impossible for people to refuse to use Facebook. From another side Facebook is a for-profit, advertising driven Social Media which means that it is incentivised to use Monolithic Social Profiles, that lead to negative issues as described above.
It is OK to use Monolithic Social Profiles in commercial, fit-for-purpose Social Media. For example, it is ok to use Monolithic Social Profiles for Instagram, as this is for profit platform mainly exploiting social competition in the area of physical attractiveness and social popularity. It is not OK to use Monolithic Social Profiles for representation on Base Digital Identity.
What can be done?
Build new Social Networking Service, that will allow people to create Compartmentalized Social Profiles to represent their Base Digital Identity. To be able to do this, the new Social Networking Service will have to be built on new business model, that does not rely on high engagement of its users.
Validbook Social
Validbook Social is a practical implementation of the above understanding of increased Social Comparison as the main problem of the current Social Media, caused by advertising based business model and its subsequent consequences (see causal pathway).
More about Validbook and Validbook Social:
Original publication and “Proposal To Cooperate on the development of Validbook”: https://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/public-credentials/2018May/0024.html
Short descriptions: https://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/public-credentials/2018Jun/0052.html and https://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/public-credentials/2018Jun/0142.html
Cons and Pros of Validbook: The nature of issues: Human Nature vs. Attention Based Business Model? (long better read from the bottom)