How does social interaction change in an age of new media?
Rethinking the way we interact with the internet, new media, and social media
In 1990, the Internet was born, bringing with it a sense of hope for the future of digital participation and discussion. According to Moore’s Law, technological advancement has been expanding at an exponential rate. The increasing number of transistors on a computer chip led to the explanation of Moore’s law; as the number of transistors on a chip increases, so does processing speed, memory capacity, and the number of pixels on a camera.
Moore’s law explains why this expansion has such a significant effect on the technological world. This expansion also has an effect on the immaterial side, an entirely new field of study has been opened up by this discovery.
Media, Then and Now
Eventually, technological advancement influences the media and how information is delivered. Previously, the society received knowledge through centralized media such as books, television, and newspapers. Yet, the internet will now be used to publish information.
In the last 150 years, information systems have used industrial models as a structure, which are capital-intensive, centralized, and market-oriented. Information needs a long time to be processed before it is released to the public. They carefully construct the media with ideology and professional reputations, tending to be centralized around some sources that society has accepted. For example, we get information from books, publishers, television, or films.
As the media evolves, the new media might be referred to as mass participation. There seems to be no control, and people are free to express themselves. The Internet is one of the areas where we may acquire information quickly without any interference or editing, so we don’t have to wait long. Aside from that, the internet has completely changed the way we communicate. Before, people only watched or read the news, but now they can also take part in the political process.
“The new media shift from the material to the immaterial”
— Negroponte, Computer Scientist
The internet is being used in such a way that it may be one of the quickest methods to receive information, whether truthful or misinformed. Allow yourself to post anything on the internet that contributes to the filling up of public space with pointless data and half-baked thoughts.
Because of the sheer size of the internet, we must realize that the internet cannot automatically differentiate between important information and meaningless information. As a result, we must review the big storm of information to get the right information.
We may meet the smartest individuals on the internet, but we can also meet the dumbest people who only separate for a few clicks. More information does not always imply higher quality. Sturgeon’s law is still applicable in the modern era.
“The Internet is an environment without regulation, that is driven by marketing, politics, and the uninformed decisions of laypeople.” — Tom Nichols, Writer
Cognition and the Process of Receiving Information
When we acquire information, we typically process it before making a decision. We sometimes make judgments based on how we feel, then consider if the information supports or discourages our purpose.
We have two options for making a choice and making a decision while processing information:
- Seeing — That
We commonly refer to it as intuition, the act of matching the patterns in our minds that we recognize. This process is generally quick and automated, requiring little effort.
- Reasoning — Why Process
requires extra time to consider and make judgments. This method is not automatic, so we have to make an effort to use it.
When we get information, our brain takes a shortcut and uses the first choice to make a decision. Intuition will develop first since it is quick, spontaneous, and does not take any effort to follow. For a few seconds, reasoning will be developed through the thinking process.
After the triggering event happens, we will begin the judging process with our intuition. The initial judgment process (Line 1) will result in a quick and poor decision. The process will then proceed to the part of the reasoning process (Line 2) that provides justification for the previous decision. In certain cases, people’s arguments (Line 3) can affect our thinking and lead us to change our beliefs — Jonathan Haidt describes, Intuitive judgment, followed by a lengthy, rambling justification
Bias and Phenomena on the Internet
Based on the characteristics of the internet, which is filled with both essential and dismissing information, it becomes dangerous to completely depend on our intuition without any further reasoning. They are quick to make a conclusion and avoid thinking for longer. This will produce confirmation bias, whereby individuals will only accept information that aligns with their beliefs. Vice versa, It will be tough to reject the opposites. People seem to be affected emotionally, and they tend to defend their own views (this is called the “backfire effect”).
It ain’t what you don’t know that gets you into trouble. It’s what you know for sure that just ain’t so. “ —
Mark Twain, Writer
The competition for public attention becomes more intense as more written information becomes available. As a result, readers will become increasingly separated from information based on political beliefs, religion, and ideology. The Internet has enabled hyper-personalization of media, showing just the content that people like to see. They created a data polarization that creates a chamber between the two sides.
Because of this, people on the internet prefer to discuss and gather with people who have similar views to create a stronger perspective, even if their beliefs are incorrect. Although we wanted to understand the opposing view, we also couldn’t think deeply or construct a compelling argument. The judgment is accepted and believed by a large number of individuals, and as a result, the phenomenon is known as the wisdom of the crowd — The internet is a medium, not a judge.
Conclusion
Technology advancement is unstoppable, which have changed dramatically since the internet’s inception 30 years ago, thus we should plan for the mitigation of its effects as well as its long-term effects. Technology now appears to be used to justify our arguments while blaming the other viewpoint.
To acquire information from the internet, we must be fully aware. Moreover, from the viewpoint of cognition, we must think carefully to digest information rather than simply trusting our existing intuition. At the same time, we must recognize the influence of technology on the immaterial side and pay a bit more attention to how technology changes our interactions, political democracy, economics, morals, and ethics.
Reference
Nichols, T.M. (2017). The Death of Expertise: The Campaign against Established Knowledge and Why it Matters. Oxford University Press.
Winner, L. (1988). The Whale and the Reactor: A Search for Limits in an Age of High Technology. University of Chicago Press.
Haidt, J. (2012). The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion. Pantheon.
Boomen, M.V.D., Raessens, J., Lehman, A., Lammes, S., Schafer, M.T. (2009). Digital Material: Tracing New Media in Everyday Life and Technology. Amsterdam University Press.
Shanahan, M. (2015). The Technological Singularity. The MIT Press.
