It’s hard to overemphasize the impact social media has had on the national political landscape over the past two decades. The sources we choose to follow and the algorithms that form around us not only impact the color and tone of the news we get, but in many ways they define our reality every time we check on our smartphones.
A recent global survey from the Pew Research Center shows how much our relationship with social media has become a love/hate affair. And that’s especially true when you compare the attitudes of Americans to the attitudes of those in other countries.
To start with, we might be addicted to the devices in our pockets and the content that pops in Facebook, Twitter or TikTok — but Americans also believe it’s probably not the healthiest habit. Overall, about two-thirds of Americans, 64%, said they think social media is bad for democracy. The median “bad for democracy” numbers for the other 18 counties in the Pew survey was only 34%. That’s a massive gap. CONTINUED
Dante Chinni, NBC News
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