Social media’s ace in the hole

I agree with many of the criticisms of social media, particularly the flawed bases of social recommendations. But I’m curious, with this swell of resentment and dissatisfaction, why does social media continue to thrive?

To my knowledge, the aspect that separates social media from socializing is that the former transcends space and time. For many, these are particularly daunting impediments to socializing, particularly if you feel at all marginalized.

In this light, social media offers a remedy (however flawed and flimsy) to loneliness and isolation. To my knowledge, we haven’t yet implemented an alternative at scale. Without an alternative, social media endures.

If you have any ideas or corrections, I’d love to hear them. Thanks for a though-provoking article.