There is a recurring debate on the impact of social media on our societies, and more specifically, the extent to which it contributes to the increased violence many countries have been experiencing. We discuss this issue and identify some other factors that may be at play.

 

Over the past several days, a debate seemed to have emerged in Barbados on the relationship between social media and violence. On the one hand, psychologist, Dr Anthony Cummins, is of the view that social media may be a key factor that has been driving the increase in gun crime by young men:

We are in the information age – good or bad content, they are watching. TikTok is becoming so violent. You can almost think you are watching an x-rated movie. Facebook and Instagram as well. These are the things that are flying in your face as an adult. Who are the persons behind these things?

(Source:  Barbados Today)

On the other hand, the Minister of Youth, Sport and Community Empowerment, Charles Griffith, appears to be advocating for the youth to be more engaged and so have less idle time for mischief:

I am not sure that there is that strong link between social media and violence. What I can tell you is that my ministry started a block committee and what the block committee did was go to every single block across the island and register persons not only to get involved in sports, vocational training but also entrepreneurship…

(Source:  Barbados Today)

Depending on the source, the global average for the amount of time spent on social media in 2022 is around two and a half hours per day, with platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and YouTube among the most popular. There is thus the opportunity to consume vast amounts of content, thanks to the algorithms that seek to keep you on those platforms for as long as possible.

Further, since we may spend a fair portion of our waking hours on social media, it may not be unreasonable to expect some consequences, such as it affecting our behaviour and attitude. We briefly explore some of the findings and identify some other drivers of violence that ough to be considered.

 

What may be the connection between social media and violence?

Noting that social media is still relatively new, the question of whether the violence seen on social media perpetuates violence in real life has not yet been decisively answered. However, as we broach that issue, and to clarify, it is important to recognise that social media could be the channel through which violence or other harm is perpetuated. Good examples of this are cyberbullying and promoting or inciting violence, for which a direct relationship can be made. The argument is also being made that in viewing violence on social media is spurring individuals to engage in violent behaviour. Evidence to support this contention does seem to as explicit, and so needs additional study.

Having said this, and according to an article published by the Michigan Youth Violence Prevention Center, there is evidence that continual exposure to violence can have adverse effects on youth. Further, these youth are “…more likely to exhibit antisocial behavior, ranging from imitative violent behavior with toys to criminal violence, acceptance of violent behavior, increased feelings of hostility, and desensitization toward violent behavior.”

However, although the nature of the content that is being viewed could contribute to an increase in aggressive behaviour, according to the Psychiatric Times, the more worrisome evidence is the link between obsessive or compulsive internet use and “depressive disorders”, with recent studies finding a relationship between social media use and “a decline in subjective well-being”.

 

Recent cultural shifts have been blamed for the societal breakdown

It is also important to highlight that television and music have also been blamed for the breakdown of values and the myriad of changes in many societies. For example, in the Caribbean region and over the past 20 to 30 years, the influx of North American television programmes was blamed for the cultural evolution that had been occurring. And there have been studies that suggested that viewing violence on television had a desensitizing effect and increased the potential for aggression, especially among children (Source:  American Psychological Association).

Similarly and in the music sphere, there is a concern in the Jamaican society that there is a connection between dancehall music and crime, in which a recent poll indicated that around 82% of the population was of that view (Source: The Gleaner). However, there is also research into the impact of the dancehall genre on adolescent sexual and violent behaviour, in which a direct correlation was found “…between the loud ‘hard-core’ music played on public transportation and the proliferation of sexual activities on these said transportations” (Source: National Library of Medicine).

 

The drivers of violence are not very straightforward

Although there might appear to be a precedent for believing that social media is the cause of the increase in gun crimes, arguments have been made that social media is not (solely) the blame. As Dr Cummings and others have noted, the breakdown of families, poverty, a lack of education and peer pressure as being more important drivers of violence and criminal behaviour.

Having said this, there is still a need to be concerned about the impact of social media on those who might not be able to properly distil fact from fiction, those who looking for an escape from their real lives, and those who may be addicted. As previously mentioned, the platforms are configured to keep our attention for as long as possible. Unfortunately, many of us may not realise this and neither are we equipped to better manage our experience of social media.

 

 

Image credit:  Alexa (Pixabay)