Building Peace through Facebook Friendship Groups

Abstract

As social media use is on the rise throughout the world, there are increasing numbers of scholars studying the ways that social media increases conflict and how the nature of the algorithm causes people to be consistently exposed to information that reinforces their own views of the world, known as the echo chamber effect. This echo chamber reinforces particular narratives about the world and leads to stereotyping. In fact, the online world has become one of the greatest breeding grounds for discord and toxic polarization. This discord is causing some to question whether social media forums serve any real positive benefit, influencing some to abandon these forums completely. However, aren’t there also positive benefits to social media, like the ability to gain large amounts of information about people and events in real time? These mediums also connect people all over the world, who previously would never have come into contact with each other. One might argue that the benefits must outweigh the detriments or millions of people would not flock to these places to socialize, learn, and dialogue several times a day. Perhaps this argument is subject to debate, however, clearly people are getting something that they need from these online interactions. Humans are inherently social beings and it is part of their nature to relate to one another and interact. In many ways, social media has become the new normal for how people socialize and relate to others. It has been said that with the internet and social media, the world is at your doorstep. Where people used to communicate with their mouths, they now increasingly communicate with their fingers and a keyboard. However, the question remains, if social media has become a breeding ground for conflict, can it also be used as a mechanism for peace?