In the ongoing battle between Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg, the introduction of Meta’s Threads has marked the first round. Threads is intended to directly compete with Twitter, and I can’t help but hope that both of these tech giants suffer losses. Unfortunately, their products are detrimental to society. Facebook, which caters to older users, and Twitter, which attracts middle-aged pundits and politicians, both contribute to the decline of society. These platforms are especially harmful to younger users of other Meta products like Instagram, as well as journalists and media outlets that rely on social media for revenue. While social media is not solely responsible for our moral decline and alienation, it does enable us to indulge in our worst tendencies. Both Meta and Twitter have a common incentive: profit through addiction. Meta’s Threads, which has already garnered 30 million downloads in just 24 hours, is a testament to this addiction.
Elon Musk, despite his brilliance, seems ill-equipped to run a social media company. His behavior as Twitter’s owner mirrors that of the average Twitter user—impulsive, erratic, and performative. Unsurprisingly, Twitter’s value has plummeted under his leadership. Mark Zuckerberg, on the other hand, may appear more focused, but his company has also experienced significant losses in market value. If Musk is Silicon Valley’s flawed hero, then battling Zuckerberg, a typical Ivy League overachiever, is befitting. Meta has also faced financial difficulties, losing nearly a trillion dollars in market cap in just over a year. These struggles highlight the fact that expertise in one area does not guarantee success in another.
Threads is essentially Meta’s version of Twitter. However, all of Meta’s major products serve the same purpose: making the trivial seem important and exploiting our social hierarchy-driven anxieties for profit. Human beings are innately social creatures with a strong sense of status competition. Twitter and Meta take advantage of this by quantifying popularity and engendering social anxiety. In a literal sense, their business is akin to monkey business.
The influence of social media extends beyond these platforms themselves. It has had a detrimental effect on our politics, journalism, and civil discourse. Political speeches, media op-eds, and even presidential campaigns are crafted with social media in mind. Shallow stunts and moments of outrage drive engagement, fueling small-dollar donations, clicks, and subscriptions. This explains the surge in subscriptions for newspapers like The New York Times and The Washington Post during the Trump presidency.
While the demise of Twitter would be beneficial, Meta has already proven capable of creating even worse alternatives. Moreover, they have shown a lack of concern for privacy and the misuse of user data. Interestingly, Threads won’t be available in the European Union, where Zuckerberg has already faced regulatory challenges. However, it will be available in Cleveland and other parts of the world.
Twitter and Facebook do not contribute anything of lasting value. If they were to cease to exist, it would create a void that could be filled with more meaningful activities like reading, spending time with loved ones, and engaging in real conversations. The demise of both platforms would be a public service.
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