From community to consumerism: What is social media for?

At its inception, social media brought us closer together. It enabled us to communicate with people on the other side of the world; to reunite with friends and loved ones with whom we may have lost contact; and to expand our horizons and communicate with others outside of our usual worlds. It created a sense of community and understanding. 

Now, however, it increasingly divides us. The algorithms increasingly push rage bait, and the rise of the influencer has meant that platforms have become more about consumerism than community. Social media is contributing to the polarisation that is plaguing our politics; keyboard warriors and the influx of bots have increasingly valued arguments and disagreement – at any cost - over fact-based debate and open-minded disagreement. 

In partnership with The Conduit, we are delighted to be joined by Ava Santina, Political Editor at PoliticsJOE, and Kirsty McNeill MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Scotland Office), to explore how we can make social media social again.

This is part of IPPR's event series in partnership with The Conduit. For more information on this event or others in the series, please contact events@ippr.org.