The land of extreme extremes

As social media users, why don’t we do a deep cleanse of our feeds, and follow different kinds of people — some that validate our opinion, and some that challenge them. REPRESENTATION PIC/ISTOCK

In my experience, being "normal" or having a balanced opinion on social media, is wasted. Let me explain. For example, if you are a fashion creator - you have to either be skinny, fitting the accepted view of beauty, or you need to be plus-sized, to really make an impression. And if you are an opinion maker - I am at a loss as to why these exist, as a journalist, I am so used to giving facts to help the reader make informed decisions - then you have to take an extreme side. Either be a Right-winger, or be left or Left liberal.

There no longer exists a middle path.

Last weekend, when I decided to write a post on my thoughts about Dhurandhar, I had decided to be as honest and non-controversial as I could be. Because in the end, it's just a movie and I, just a layman watching. I thought there was nothing problematic about the movie, and any flaws I noticed, I put across honestly. The response to the post was good by all standards, but the usually woke voices, who believed the film was working on "inciting hate", didn't comment or respond to my post. I don't feel it's because they are intimidated by me. It could be because when faced with a balanced and not-frothing-at-the-mouth view, they had
nothing to say.

In a study done by Binghamton University, State University of New York, called: Generation and influence of eccentric ideas on social networks, researchers said that more eccentric opinions can be necessary to maintain popularity among those who share such beliefs, even if the topic of discussion is not traditionally extreme. What they mean is that it's not just creators who need to make extreme content to get noticed, but social media users also only consume extreme views, as it helps them form a stronger opinion.

It's mind-boggling. What happened to nuanced thinking? What happened to both sides of the story? What happened to a regulated nervous system?

It's not just about opinions. Even in terms of regular lifestyle content - either you need to match the accepted views on beauty, style, presentation and aesthetic, or you need to be far removed from it - on the other extreme. No wonder "cringe" is a content genre that rakes in the views. So where does a regular creator, and consumer go?

I find this harmful and dangerous to society as a whole. We have become less tolerant of everything around us - people, situations and events. But we have also become closed to any opinion that doesn't match our own, in effect restricting our own growth. We have become dependent on the creators who feed us extreme views to help shape our opinion.

When I started reading up about it, I came across the term: The "Echo Chamber" effect. It says that algorithms prioritise engagement over accuracy, and hence, they amplify divisive content. This leads to the making of "echo chambers", where users are primarily exposed to information that validates their pre-existing beliefs, and they are also isolated from opposing views.

I want us to break the door of this echo chamber, and imagine we lived in a world where we got a lot of facts, and we got a few interesting, and legit people, to tell us what they thought, and in the end, we made our own decision. I know that sounds radical in the world that we live, but hey, aren't we the main character of our own lives?

As users, why don't we do a deep cleanse of our feeds, and follow different kinds of people - some that validate our opinion, and some that challenge them? And as creators, why don't we tone down the outrage and focus on facts and solutions? It may reduce our engagement just a bit, but it will help us sleep better at night.

Just remember, in a world where everyone is poised to attack one another, being balanced, tolerant and open to another's opinion is a flex.

See you next week.

Ranting and raving about all that's trending on social media, Aastha Atray Banan is an author, creator, podcaster, and the Editor of your favourite weekend read, Sunday mid-day. She posts at @aasthaatray on Instagram.
Send your feedback tomailbag@mid-day.com
The views expressed in this column are the individual's and don't represent those of the paper.