Well, something has to be done.
I took a Sociology class online for free a few years ago. It helped me understand a lot about things I couldn't understand about U.S. society.
One thing I learned about was Bias. How we are all very biased individuals. Specifically, one bias is "thin slice" judgments.
Thin-Slicing Judgments In Psychology
"Thin-slicing in psychology refers to the ability to make accurate judgments about people or situations based on very limited information, often within a few seconds or minutes. It’s the process of drawing quick conclusions from a small fraction of an experience. While thin-slicing can be accurate, it’s also susceptible to biases and may not always lead to correct assessments."
I'm a White older female with (dyed) blonde hair. I have a fairly good complexion, not too wrinkly, thanks to heredity and sunscreen, not facelifts or other beauty treatments common to my wealthier peers. (First bias when people see me might be the assumption that I have "had a lot of work done".) I haven't even have a manicure in 15 years. No need for one, IMO. Who am I going to impress with my fingernails?
So, I think because of how I look, White, blonde, older, for years, I mean over 20 years, people thin-slice judge me. ("Oh she's an older White lady - she has plenty of money. She doesn't really need this job - I'll give it to the young person instead.") and they refuse to call me in for interviews, let alone give me a job.
As a result, I am an unwilling and unhappy "Independent Contractor", working for apps, bringing you your coffee. I have many years of college eduction; three degrees in total. So what? My race and gender are what I am judged by
first and foremost.
And THIS, as I finally get to my point, is the CORE problem with all Social Media.
Social media increase the biases of the users, IMO. You get a very tiny, thin slice of anyone's life on a Social Media account, and then biased people (most of us) take that thin-slice and run with it - make judgements with it.
These biases and thin-slice judgements people make using limited information they find on social media are why I will never return to any of the popular sites. (Even here we are asked for our location and our age is identified by the site title.) But even real name posting is not the only issue now because so many people know how to track down IP addresses.
If scientists could somehow take BIAS out of all of society, then we'd all be safe to have a social media account. But that will never happen - not in one million years.
The brain is hard-wired to SORT things and people: "Good guy & bad guys, harmful people & helpful people, red people and blue people, quiet people & loud people, friends v. foe, young v. old, etc., etc."
We are sorting machines because sorting safe foods from poisonous foods helped us survive for eons. Sorting friends from foes also helped us survive for eons. We're hard-wired for bias and only by becoming self-aware of these biases can we purposefully OVERCOME them.
Doesn't TikTok reinforce cognitive biases, just like all social media platforms do?
TikTok may be bad for privacy, but is it also harming our cognitive abilities?
