Theme:

Social media platforms gave voice to common people and empowered many. But there is
also a negative side to it. Due to several posts in social media, these days people
are rigidly divided into 2 groups with completely opposing views for many issues
such as politics, communities, social issues etc. Because of this, many are of the
opinion that social media platforms are fueling polarization and extremism in
society.

Social media is a powerful tool that can connect people, share information, and
create communities. However, it can also have negative effects on society, such as
polarizing opinions, spreading misinformation, and increasing intolerance. In this
essay, I will discuss how social media is polarizing the society and what can be
done to prevent it.

Yes – Social media is polarising society:

Social media doesn’t contain just original content. It contains several types of
content such as paid news, influences trying to promote things for money, fake
news, hate speeches, politically motivated posts etc. People get affected by what
they watch, see and listen to in their daily lives and hence social media is
influencing common people to form opinions on several issues. These days we are
frequently witnessing content in social media that is evoking strong emotions in
public.
Unlike before, now people are more rigidly divided into 2 groups that are
completely opposite in their views. Social media posts tend to amplify the
differences between those groups.
Even though social media platforms contain posts on diverse views, in general, they
show personalised content to their users. In personalised content, most of the
posts contain viewpoints similar to theirs. So, this is making people be even more
opinionated and rigid
in their beliefs.

Some people are just doing whatever their group/community does or think they do
because for them membership in the community is important. So, they are sharing
posts that they think their community believes in.
Some people are sharing content and making it viral without thinking about the
consequences. And viral posts are making it to headlines in traditional media such
as newspapers and influencing the opinions of even those who do not follow social
media content.
Ezoic

No – social media is not polarising society:

Social media platforms gave the opportunity to the public to listen to the other
side and also the opportunity to have a healthy discussion. In fact, several people
read diverse views through social media content and are forming their opinions
through thorough analyzation. This is helping many to have a moderate point of
views.

It depends on people rather than social media content. People who think well do not
fall into the trap of hate speeches and politically motivated posts.
How to prevent polarization in society:
Social media platforms should take responsibility and should take steps to prevent
extreme views from displaying in suggested content. They should minimise its impact
and need to take steps to show the content of diverse views in personalized news
feeds.
People also should take responsibility for what they share. Creating awareness and
empowering people is also the need of the hour. Movies on how fake news,
politically motivated content affects society also works in creating awareness in
public.
Conclusion:
social media websites have the responsibility to promote a healthy atmosphere. They
should show diverse views. And people also have a responsibility to be open-minded
in posting content online and also when replying to others’ point of view. We need
to create awareness in the public that not all social media posts are from common
people and there are different types of content such as fake news, paid news, hate
speeches and politically motivated posts etc. We all should work to minimise this
negative consequence of social media platforms while utilizing them to our
advantage.