Abstract
Social media, often regarded as the precursor to artificial intelligence, has been a focal point of ethical debates over the past decades. Recently, with its entanglement in discussions surrounding artificial intelligence development, elections, media literacy, and media ecology, social media is once again under intense scrutiny – and rightly so. Despite persistent ethical concerns, social media has only grown more powerful and influential. A November 2024 Pew Research report revealed that “about one-in-five Americans – including a much higher share of adults under 30 (37%) – say they regularly get news from influencers on social media” (Pew Research, 2024). During the 2024 presidential election, political parties also relied heavily on social media influencers to reach younger population. Meanwhile, TikTok, one of the most widely used social media platforms, is facing a potential ban in the U.S. unless it agrees to be sold to a U.S. company (Hadero, 2024). This situation has sparked strong reactions from users and influencers alike, which demonstrates the platform’s deep influence and popularity. When we look at companies that are at the forefront of generative AI development, it is easy to notice that they are also owners of major social media platforms. Understanding the new and emerging ethical challenges posed by social platforms is therefore essential to grasping the broader implications of artificial intelligence.
This Trends article reviews two books published in December 2024 that reignite the ethical conversation surrounding social media’s design and power. The Space of the World by Nick Couldry, Professor at the London School of Economics and Political Science, addresses the macro-level question of how human society has enabled social media platforms to design our online space and dominate our lives. Meanwhile, Social Media Victimization by Jessica Emami of American University focuses on a specific consequence of this dominance: cyberpunishment, a phenomenon enabled and amplified by social media. Together, these books provide compelling insights into the ethical concerns that social media continues to present.