Social Media Stoke our Anger During Economic Woes



	Social Media Stoke our Anger During Economic Woes Brandon Sun “Small World” Column, Monday, October 6 / 25 Zack Gross I usually don’t look at the comments on social media posts as they are often negative and rude. On Facebook or other applications, someone will ask an innocent question or give an innocuous opinion and, immediately, people are calling them out in vile language. However, one that caught my eye the other day was from a woman who complained about a restaurant that had served her husband coffee with cream that had gone bad. The staff had offered to pour a new brew but the couple wanted their money back. There were dozens of comments, almost all defending the cafe, saying, I paraphrase, given the state the world is in, can’t they find something more important to complain about?! Needless to say, I agree. In a world of conflict in Ukraine, the Middle East, Africa and beyond, a bad cup of coffee pales as a problem in comparison. With an earthquake in The Philippines, flooding in India, wildfires in North America and more, can’t we, as one commentator said on Facebook, “get over ourselves”? Someone was complaining about the challenges of furnishing their second home. Such a complaint flies in the face of the many folks who are struggling to find a home they can afford. Complaining is something that we do well. Especially with social media, complaint is brought to a new level as the algorithm that powers these programs is set to amplify emotion, attracting angry comment. At the same time, many people are on social media to stoke those fires, either because the medium attracts those kinds of people or because they are actually paid or organized to destabilize our society, replacing kindness, calm and patience with mis- and disinformation. A number of current authors, including Anne Applebaum and Carol Off, have documented how Russian and China intervention in our social media is there to cause chaos and turn us against one another. The current economic situation has affected our politics. One of the things that I’ve noticed on social media is posts saying that certain stores or restaurants no longer give good service, carry quality goods or serve good food, implying or stating that this is because the “new owners” are immigrants. There are also posts saying “I was followed home by (add any words that indicate a recent immigrant)”. I’m pleased to say that this isn’t my experience. What I wonder, and tell people who pick up on these negative posts and speak against “immigrants”, is that it is possible that these are planted by bad actors to sew social discord. There is a lot of gossip, rumour and bad information out there. During a recent election, I canvassed Manitoba neighbourhoods, both upscale and poorer. I found that citizens at the door had good questions and opinions, but sometimes didn’t have all the facts. For instance, several concerns arose about poor roads. Yes, I agreed, your road is poor but it is not the jurisdiction of this candidate (federal or provincial) to deal with it, but you should speak to your municipal or city councilor. Others asked about health care or education issues, which is great as these are so important to our present and future generations. Some folks had been misinformed and were angry for no good reason. An example was information that another candidate and social media had been circulating that international students were paid big bucks to come and study in Canada while our local students had to foot the bill. Of course, the opposite is the case. International students have paid large fees and brought needed dollars into Canada and its universities and colleges, creating jobs for Canadians and expansion of these institutions. Now that the federal government is limiting foreign enrollment, post-secondary schools are having to cut programs and staff. Paying taxes has been a controversial topic for many centuries. Social media posts love to tell stories of waste and laziness in our government services. Some criticism certainly may have merit but again much is generated by people with an agenda. Nordic countries are often listed as the happiest, best educated and most secure people on the planet and that is because they are prepared to pay for that privilege with higher taxes. In an age of heightened tensions, it is important to get the facts and not be drawn into the algorithm of anger. When I look at Facebook, I’m interested in seeing what’s happening in my community or what my friends are up to, but I keep in mind that political opinion is just that, and maybe worse. Zack Gross is Board Chair of The Marquis Project, a Brandon-based international development organization, and co-author of the new book The Fair Trade Handbook: Building a Better World, Together. * * * * * Return to Articles page