The monumental growth of social media in the past decade has paved the way to build connections and relationships with people around the world. However, through creating connections over shared interests, it has also caused some unprecedented and dangerous followings. Sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram have created a platform where extremist groups can can band together and create a following while gaining power in numbers. In “The rise of far-right extremism in the United States,” Scott Jones says:

“Right-wing networks have used Twitter (with hashtags like #nationalist and #ultraright in Twitter posts), posted videos on YouTube, established Facebook pages, created Instagram accounts, and communicated on social media sites like Gab and through Voice over Internet Protocol applications like Discord. Some have even sprayed graffiti on neighborhood walls to advertise their white supremacist ideology”

(Jones 1)

The article points out that right-wing extremism and the number of terrorist attacks has quadrupled in the past decade and social media has played a major role.

The Following

I believe social media is highly responsible for the rise of right wing extremist terrorism in our country. Hari points out:

“64 percent of all the people joining extremest groups were finding their way to them because Facebook’s algorithms were directly recommending them”

(Hari 165)

Facebook’s algorithms were directly contributing to the increase in followers in these groups. There is no regulation against bias or “fake news” in the algorithms. Therefore, misinformation is widely being spread and the lack of regulation around reliable news sources creates chaos and dangerous followings.

Fighting Back

Johann Hari in Stolen Focus states that society has banded together and fought against wrongful cultural changes that are negatively affecting our society throughout history. He points out that the right for women to vote and the right for all genders to get married was started by humans banding together to create change. He says:

“The feminist movement teaches us that huge and seemingly immovable forces can be challenged by ordinary people-and that when they are, it can lead to real change.”

(Hari 168)

He points out that the big tech companies such as Facebook are not willing to make changes to solve this addiction to media and the misinformation it is spreading. It is our responsibility as humans to band together and demand change. However, I believe this will take many years and the only way Facebook will listen to its customers is for us to stop using it and demand some regulation for our safety.

If we can utilize our First Amendment right to a peaceful assembly by protesting Netflix as it pertains to the salaries of writers in the current Writers Guild of America strike, we can surely find a way to protest Facebook…or at least create better regulations. Netflix will eventually come to an agreement and pay their writers what they deserve. If we protest and stop using Facebook and Instagram, I believe that they will be at the mercy of their customers and agree to some regulation.

Our Role for the Future

It is our responsibility as humans to stick together as we have throughout history and put a stop to media and its effect on the spread of misinformation. Yes, we have a growing problem in focus and attention due to media and technology and this is a valid issue. However, the growing thread of white supremacy and national terrorism that targets racial and religious groups is a much bigger issue for the safety of our society.

How many right-wing terrorist acts will it take to put regulations on Facebook’s algorithms feeding and growing these terrorist communities? How many hate crimes will it take to make our leaders wake up? It is our job to take action, band together, strike, protest, and elect officials who will save our democracy.

Citations:

Jones, S. G. (n.d.). The Rise of Far-Right Extremism in the United States. CSIS. https://www.csis.org/analysis/rise-far-right-extremism-united-states

Hari, Johann. Stolen Focus: Why You Can’t Pay Attention–and How to Think Deeply Again