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#Happy: The Dictatorship of Happiness on Social Media (52:31)
We spend hours on Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat, seduced by their promise to be able to share our life and our opinions with the whole world. In this virtual world, everyone is happy. Everyone has perfect bodies and lives fulfilled lives in stylish houses surrounded by beautiful friends and family. Everyone shows off and everyone judges. But this irresistible quest for recognition can quickly turn into addiction, wreaking havoc on our mental health. And teenagers are the most susceptible. This program examines the real dangers of the “happycracy” promoted on social networks and hear from some of its young victims. Danny was 14 when he posted his first selfie on Facebook. But it didn’t get many ‘likes,’ leading him to take more and more in a desperate attempt to secure the approval of others. Soon he was taking hundreds of selfies a day. He stopped eating in an attempt to perfect his body. Then he dropped out of school and spent six months unable to leave the house, believing that he was so ugly, people would be afraid of him. Desperate, he tried to kill himself. It was only when Danny stopped using social networks that he was able to slowly recover. His is an extreme story but with the invention of the “like” and the idea of “self branding,” where everything must be validated by others to be real, the creators of social networks are changing our behaviours. Marie, 22 and with 4922 followers, is terrified of disappointing her subscribers. So she spends one day a week perfecting an image of living the perfect Parisian life. Hours doing her make-up and taking hundreds of photos to create the one image she will post. She breaks down in front of the camera and confides how vulnerable she feels and how desperate she is to be liked.
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Cancel Culture Is Toxic: A Debate (01:04:04)
"Cancel Culture"—the effort to ostracize someone for comments or actions deemed offensive—has grown more pervasive in recent years. With the rise of Twitter and other social media platforms, people can quickly publicize such comments or actions and urge others to shun, or "cancel," them. Canceling can have serious repercussions, resulting in the loss of cultural cache, political clout, and even a job or career. Critics of cancel culture argue that it empowers digital mobs to police people's speech, invade their rights, and even endanger their physical safety. Cancel culture, they charge, erodes public discourse, inhibits free expression, and promotes censorship of unpopular ideas. Defenders of cancel culture dismiss these concerns, arguing that holding people to account for offensive—and often racist or sexist—comments is thoroughly appropriate. Such accountability can bring attention to prejudice and bigotry, they charge, and help break down ingrained systems of injustice, particularly on behalf of populations that have historically been discriminated against and exploited. Is cancel culture beneficial or is it toxic?
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CNN: Spreading Hate - The Dark Side of the Internet (41:34)
An in depth look at hate in the 21st century. America’s recent rise in hate crimes sparked this in-depth look at all the possible reasons why.
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Cracking the Code (42:17)
Four Corners explores the world of Facebook and how your data is being mined to drive the huge success of the social media giant. Reporter Peter Greste examines the Facebook business model and shows why your private life is making the company billions.The program investigates how Facebook has the ability to track much of your browsing history, even when you're not logged on, and even if you aren't a member of the social network. It also reveals how the methods used to deliver targeted advertising also drives what 'news' appears in your Facebook feed, and why you are unlikely to see anything that challenges your world view.
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Is Elon Musk Killing Twitter?: A Debate (50:35)
In October 2022, businessman Elon Musk, the founder of Tesla and SpaceX, bought the influential social media company Twitter for $44 billion. Within weeks, he fired half the company's workforce, relaxed the platform's policies against hate speech and the spread of disinformation, and restored the account of former president Donald Trump (R, 2017–21), whom Twitter had banned for encouraging violence. Many applauded Musk's actions, arguing that they advanced free speech and open dialog, but others questioned them, arguing that they encouraged extremism and undermined the company's legitimacy. Is Elon Musk killing Twitter?
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Should the US Ban TikTok? A Debate (50:36)
With 1 billion active users across more than 150 countries, TikTok is one of the most popular video apps in the world. Nearly one in three Americans have an account, and since 2021 it has been downloaded more than any other app. But unlike competing social media platforms, TikTok is owned by ByteDance, a Chinese company. Some worry that data from users in the United States could be transmitted to China's government, despite assurances from ByteDance that this does not happen. These concerns, however, spurred President Joe Biden (D) to ban TikTok from U.S. government phones in December 2022. More than half of states across the country have taken similar action. But with rising tensions between the United States and China—and mounting questions of Chinese surveillance—some are calling for lawmakers to go further and ban TikTok completely. Supporters of such a move argue it would protect Americans' privacy and U.S. national security and prevent the Chinese government from gaining access to critical data. Opponents dismiss these fears as overblown, arguing that such a ban would outlaw a popular and important tool in the video marketplace, and that users would easily find ways to access the platform. Should the U.S. ban TikTok?
Try these videos to get started. Must be on campus or login with your COM account for off campus access.
