Posted on 02/28/2024 9:38:48 AM PST by Twotone
America is an outlier: New polling by the Pew Research Center indicates that the U.S. is a global outlier when it comes to majority attitudes toward social media.
"People in emerging economies are particularly likely to say social media has advanced their democracy," reports Pew. "Assessments are especially positive in Nigeria and Mexico, where nearly eight-in-ten (77% each) say social media has had a positive effect on democracy."
In other places, like Poland, "86% of adults under 40 say social media has benefited democracy in their country, compared with 56% of those ages 40 and older." Younger people tend to be more likely to report positive perceptions of social media's value for democracy, ditto with the richer and more educated.
Overall, large shares of respondents say they believe social media has been beneficial to democracy—76 percent of Singaporeans, 74 percent of Indians, 68 percent of South Africans, 65 percent of Israelis, and 63 percent of Argentines—while respondents in the U.S. largely disagree, with 64 percent saying "social media has been more of a bad thing for democracy in their country" compared with 34 percent who say it's been more of a good thing.
Might this be because people use social media differently by country? Does, for example, WhatsApp messaging—a means of staying in touch with large groups of friends and family common in much of the world, but less used in the U.S.—count? Might attitudes be colored by U.S. media coverage of the issue (including Russia election interference panic)? Does the perception of social media's value have to do with where each country is on the adoption curve of a given platform?
Maybe in the U.S. we're at the point where we take some of the value for granted—the ease with which we access new information, the minimal effort it takes to stay in touch with family, the little mood-lifting benefits that come from content we authentically want to consume.
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Simple explanation: it depends upon where you’re starting from. We were at the top of the ladder for decades and have slid down. Other countries (e.g., Chile) started at the bottom (under Allende) and moved upward.
CIA and Media are pushing an agenda, always have. An agenda against natural laws. Those other countries make me laugh, especially European…. Drive 4 hours and you are out of there.
When we were united foundational, we were strong. The media fixed that little problem.
There is a reason why stereotypes about being stupid will never die.
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