If it screams it streams, but if kind, pay no mind
At the suggestion of Rik Yeames, NH’s leading solar eclipse enthusiast and Concord Domino’s Pizza franchisee, my April 26 NH Business Review column “Eclipse reflections” was included in the time capsule buried on May 1 outside the McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center and Planetarium.
When the time capsule is opened in 2079 (the year of our next NH solar eclipse), I hope that our nation will be in a strong and healthy place where people can disagree while treating others with dignity and respect. I am sure there will be many challenges in our country and on our special planet Earth, some of which I cannot envision, but if we can find ways to have respectful conversations, any challenges will be much easier to overcome.
In 2024, we are in a precarious state.
While the authors of the 2018 study “The Hidden Tribes of America” found that only a third of Americans embrace the most extreme politics of the left and right, those perspectives dominate the national conversation.
“Polarization has become a business model,” they wrote. “Media executives have realized that they can drive clicks, likes, and views, and make money for themselves and their shareholders, by providing people with the most strident opinions.”
It is ironic that social media platforms that promised to bring us together are fostering so much division (even among family and friends), and social media can breed employee conflicts that undermine positive workplace dynamics, too.
Facebook can be beneficial for staying connected with family and friends, but news and political posts on these sites often get people agitated and perpetuate the polarization cycle.
When you see content that makes you angry or upset, Facebook owner Meta hopes you take the bait and engage; their algorithms favor posts that generate strong emotional reactions, keeping us online to see more advertisements (and they make more money). It is intentionally designed so posts that are more thoughtful get fewer views.
You can make money on YouTube and other sites, and the more provocative your content, the more likely you benefit. People who promote disinformation, too, have become sophisticated at feeding us posts that reinforce our opinions. This system works great for conflict entrepreneurs and tech giants, but ultimately harms our social fabric and nation.
Texts and emails can be addictive, too, but smartphone technology has significantly upped the game. Tech giants suck us in and keep us there to the detriment of important parts of our lives. Their goal may not be polarization or undermining children’s mental health, but they surely know that these are byproducts of their financial success.
Many are addicted to cellphones. Notifications at all hours demand attention. We can’t help ourselves! Even the health website WebMD has recognized this problem, offering online suggestions on “How to Break Your Phone Habit.”
Constantly checking one’s cellphone, aside from all the time it takes, can push us down a rabbit hole of disinformation and polarization. It is not only our nation that suffers, but so do we as individuals, as do our family members and friends and employers.
I confess to using a flip phone, because I know from experience that I lack the discipline to manage the smart kind. Despite understanding how this works, I know I can’t help myself! For sure, I miss out on some of the useful aspects of smartphone technology — such as navigating my car through unknown geography. But I have decided that not having a smartphone is better for my health and well-being.
If it screams it streams, but if kind, pay no mind! That is how I sum up how social media algorithms’ function. This is having a profound impact on our nation as the most effective conflict entrepreneurs have learned to exploit this system.
We need to do better. I am writing a book with the working title “Beyond the Politics of Contempt: Practical Steps You Can Take to Make Our Country Better.” I have been turned down by two publishers, one of whom wrote that books like this “just don’t seem to be outshouting Truth Social and news channels these days.” I am not dismayed by this challenge and welcome any suggestions!
We each have an extraordinary opportunity to make a difference in people’s lives, including our own. Don’t underestimate your impact!
Douglass P. Teschner, founder of Growing Leadership LLC, can be reached at dteschner@Growing-LeadershipLLC.com.
