It's Probably that Damn Phone!
It’s
probably that damn phone!
Jayesh Naidu
A
statement mobile phone users often faced while growing up. However, it was
frequently rebutted with confusion and denial, of course, the circumstances
were different. Albeit, currently, with the increase in the usage of social
media and other platforms, we find ourselves open to a new set of problems.
Problems such as misinformation and disinformation have a lasting impact on the
opinions people form.
For
example, “whatsapp university” was a term coined to call out or point out false
information that is extensively shared through the platform whatsapp. At
the same time, we find ourselves more inclined towards believing information
that is presented on other platforms, such as twitter, instagram or in some
cases, linkedin. Perhaps it is this trust in these platforms that is
manipulated by the content creators. There seems to be some lingering trust or
confidence associated with each platform, of course, this trust would also
depend on what is being done.
As
a consequence of such patterns, terms such as echo chambers, filter bubbles,
and polarisation have surfaced to describe online behaviour. While these terms
may seem unfamiliar, all of us (social media users) are involved and play a
role in these. This is caused purely due to the data driven form of functioning
behind the algorithm that supports the platform. Our interests are collected,
our activity is noted and our ‘feed’ which is the posts that are shown to us is
thus determined by these two.
Before
we jump into how Self Fulfilling Prophecies and social media are intertwined,
we can start off with breaking down and understanding each of the terms
mentioned above.
Echo
chambers: As the name suggests these chambers echo back the
opinions and beliefs of individuals within the digital space. Rather than a
concrete space it implies more of a non-existent digital concept wherein users
find their beliefs amplified and rebuttal against the popular opinion is
minimized (individuals who go gymming receive more extreme “pro-gym” content
with little room for rebuttal) (Arguedas, A., 2022)
Filter
bubbles: They’re similar to echo chambers, however, they are
defined as existing out of the users control. That is, the algorithm, or the
news or media house controlling the posts we receive essentially act as a
filter. A filter bubble is an echo chamber that does not include users'
influence (Arguedas, A., 2022).
What
even is a Self Fulfilling Prophecy?
“The
self-fulfilling prophecy is, in the beginning, a false definition of the
situation evoking a new behavior which makes the originally false conception
come true” - Merton(1948).
While
slightly complicated to understand or accept, a self fulfilling prophecy, in
the simplest words, is a prophecy that is fulfilled on its own or by the
individual making it. In other words, we essentially shape our lives without
being entirely conscious of the mechanics behind it. ‘Prophecy’ here
refers to our beliefs or expectations regarding something. The “Self-fulfilling”
comes from the influence that the initial belief has on our behaviour which
in turn greatly impacts the outcome.
How
Self Fulfilling Prophecies are realised
Now
that we understand certain phenomena better, the realization of an SFP becomes
more transparent. Typically, the belief strength behind a thought or an
expectation is the most crucial factor towards the occurrence of a SFP (Self
Fulfilling Prophecy), meaning factors that negatively impact the belief
strength are also factors that inhibit an SFP.
Take for example a teacher who believes a student is a low performing individual. This initial thought is then reinforced subconsciously by the teacher not giving the student as many opportunities, or not paying as much attention as they believe the student may not have the answer. On the other hand, we have the student who now feels left out and demotivated with regards to the teacher's behaviour towards him, which in turn translates to a poorer performance and thus completing the realization of the SFP.
This
could work the other way round as well, the teacher believes a student performs
well and thus begins to give more attention and opportunities for the
individual to perform, motivating the student to put in more work thereby
causing the SFP to be realised. The variables that could impact the belief
strength of the teacher are the performance of the specific student along with
any information that causes her expectation to falter.
How
does this exactly matter? It is crucial to demonstrate what negatively impacts
an SFP versus what propagates it. Social media, functioning on a data-driven
algorithm, becomes a place where the belief strength is positively reinforced.
That is, we are shown and given more posts that match our interests and
expectations thus strengthening our belief strength, allowing for it to
influence our behaviour which in turn brings the expectation to a reality. It
is important to note that reality in this instance refers to the individual's
reality. Meaning it becomes a truth or a reality for that particular
individual regardless of whether it is true or not. An online user falling
victim to disinformation or misinformation is the most common example of this.
A man or a woman who holds the other in a negative light is more prone to
believing wrong information regarding the opposite sex.
Take
the same teacher and student example from above. While the teacher may not
necessarily be a “bad one”, from the perspective of the student the teacher
eventually becomes one. Thus the prophecy is realized, however, this
realization may not reflect on everyone’s collective reality. The teacher may
be known for her kindness and generosity, however, for the student the teacher
may be someone who is wretched or rude and unforgiving. This truly draws out
the importance of perspective and how much it defines what we accept versus
what we don’t.
How
do SFPs interact with Social Media?
To
begin with we must familiarize ourselves with the term, “confirmation bias”,
referring to an internal bias that causes us to take in information that
confirms or affirms our previously held beliefs. That simply means that you
tend to give attention to only the information that corroborates with
your beliefs. As you may be able to tell, this acts as a variable that
propagates SFPs and positively influences belief strength.
But
what exactly does this have to do with Social media? The algorithm that the
majority of social media uses is based on users activity (likes, comments,
views, etc) and users interests which can be garnered through some rather
nontraditional methods (tracking activity across apps, your searches on google
or a search engine). Simply put your algorithm provides you with information
that confirms or affirms to your previously held interests, beliefs and likes.
Yes, it sounds awfully similar to the confirmation bias. This is due to the
fact that the algorithm is a strong reinforcer of the confirmation bias. While
it may not be the exact same digital copy, it aids in the filtering of
information that is presented to us on a social media platform. Perhaps it is
the interaction between these two that gives rise to “echo chambers”.
The
purpose of this blog is purely to bring to awareness the possibilities
associated with social media usage. While particular contexts were not
discussed, the blog aims to break the bubble that social media tends to create.
That there exists truth beyond what we see, that there exists opinions and
posts on the polar opposite of what we accept and believe in. Ideological
segregation, misogyny, racism, religious and cultural discrimination, all
of these are prevalent amongst the posts and comments on social media. Due to
everything we’ve discussed so far (SFPs and algorithm interaction) it is even
more important to question what we see online, what you seek is what you see.
We are simply more likely to accept something as the truth if we’ve been
presented something similar previously (Ahmed et al., 2024). With this in mind,
our algorithm paired with the confirmation bias could help us achieve greater
things. This blog is a reminder that we hold the reins, not our minds or an
algorithm. We hold within us the capability to train ourselves to be more aware
of the mechanisms behind the mind that so greatly influence our being.
In
conclusion, while your stomach ache may not be attributed to the phone, certain
questionable ideologies are likely to be caused by it. Once again, Tangled
got it right when the movie portrayed, through a song, that ‘mother knows
best’. Take a break from social media, refresh your algorithm by detoxing, form
your own opinions and not those backed by others.
References
Ahmed,
S., Bee, A. W. T., Ng, S. W. T., & Masood, M. (2024). Social Media News Use
Amplifies the Illusory Truth Effects of Viral Deepfakes: A Cross-National Study
of Eight Countries. Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 68(5),
778–805. https://doi.org/10.1080/08838151.2024.2410783
Arguedas,
A., Robertson, C., Fletcher, R., Nielsen, R. (2022). Echo chambers, filter
bubbles, and polarization: A literature review. Reuters Institute for the
Study of Journalism, University of Oxford.
DOI:
10.60625/risj-etxj-7k60
Merton, R. K. (1948). The self-fulfilling prophecy. The antioch review, 8(2), 193-210.
Jayesh
is an intern with Dr Meera Iyer and is exploring content creation in the field
of psychology. He has completed his Undergraduate program in Psychology from OP
Jindal University. The content written here is purely
Jayesh’s views. You can contact him at jrn77108@gmail.com for details
