Tha Murray MacLeòid ag ràdh gu bheil na meadhanan soisealta air cron a dhèanamh

David Baddiel (Picture: Fergus McDonald/Getty Images)

[English-language version below]

‘S e ceist caran acadaimigeach a tha ann – cha ghabh a chur air ais dhan bhotal – ach ‘s fhiach a dheasbad an dèidh sin, bhon a tha fada againn ri dhol mus tuig sinn gu ceart a’ bhuaidh mhaireannach mi-chàilear a tha a’ bhiast seo (bhon as e a tha ann, sna làmhan chèarr) air a thoirt oirnn; gu h-àraid air eanchainnean òga a tha fhathast a’ fàs.

Tha e a’ coimhead coltach nach eil smachd ceart a’ dol a thighinn air a dh’aithghearr, bho nach fhaigh riaghaltasan ach air rudan a chur air chois taobh a-staigh nan crìochan aca fhèin agus mar a tha fios againn, tha na meadhanan sòisealta – Facebook, Twitter ’s gu leòr eile – a' ruighinn air feadh an t-saoghail.

Agus chan eil miann coimeirsealta ann dhaibh gus càil a dheanamh agus gus an tachair sin, chan atharraich cùisean, mura tèid toirt orra a dhèanamh tron lagh.

Bha e smaoineachail cuideigin mar Dhaibhidh Baddiel fhaicinn – ùghdar, agus ged as fhèarr a dh’aithnichear e mar fhear-èibhinn, bha e follaiseach gu bheil e lèirsinneach – agus e duilich dha inntinn fhaighinn timcheall air na meadhanan sòisealta agus a' bhuaidh a tha iad a’ toirt air fhèin.

Mar chuideigin aig a bheil dreuchd phoblach, bha e a’ faireachdain gum feumadh e dhol an-sàs annta ach cha b’ ann gun iomagain agus e ag ràdh gum faodadh e a dhreuchd a chall le aon theachdaireachd no brath gòrach.

‘S dòcha gu bheil an aon dhragh oirnn uile san là a tha ann, ach chan eil sin ag ràdh gu bheil e fallain dhar n-inntinn – gun ghuth a ràdh air na salachairean a bhios a’ cleachdadh nam meadhanan sòisealta airson slaic gun adhbhar a thoirt air daoine eile. Tha daoine air an làmh a chur nam beatha fhèin ri linn burraidheachd air loidhne.

Chan urrainnear a dhol às àicheadh gum faod e droch bhuaidh a thoirt air daoine, ach a cheart cho iomagaineach,’s e a’ bhuaidh a tha e a’ toirt air an t-saoghal san fharsaingeachd.

Cha robh ar poileataigs a-riamh cho suarach agus chan e turchartas a th’ ann gu bheil daoine air an tarraing chun an iomaill gu poileataigeach, far a bheil àmhghar is feallsanachd cearbach, aig àm nuair a tha na meadhanan sòisealta a’ fàs cho cumanta nar beatha. Tha ceangal anns an dà rud.

Tha e air ar deasbad poileataigeach a mhilleadh agus air ciallachadh gu bheil luchd-poileataigs air a thighinn am bàrr le gairmean sìmplidh mar “Dèan Brexit” agus “Dèan Aimearagaidh Mìorbhaileach A-rithist”.

Tha rud millteach eile mu thimcheall cuideachd. Leis gun robh riaghaltasan air feadh an t-saoghail an ìre mhath gu h-aona-ghuthach a’ feuchainn ri dèiligeadh leis a' phandemic, agus iad ag iarraidh na banachdaich na bu luaithe na bha àbhaisteach, cha bhiodh na suaraich a tha a’ cur na aghaidh le argamaidean gòrach air a bhith cho soirbheachail am beachd a chur air adhart às aonais nam meadhanan sòisealta.

Tha deasbad ann mu shaorsa agus smachd agus càite a bheil cothromachadh. Chrìochnaich prògram Dhaibhidh Baddiel le rud a tha math mu dheidhinn nam meadhanan sòisealta – na tha de dhaoine a thug taic dha fhèin agus athair bochd – ach tha ceist ann dè cho fad ’s as urrainn dhuinn leantainn air adhart le siostam a tha a’ cruthachadh na h-uimhir de dh'fhearg agus a’ dèanamh na h-uimhir de chron.

Fios bhon neach-deasachaidh:

Tapa leibh airson an aithris a tha seo a leughadh. Tha sinn an eismeil ur taic nas motha na bha riamh agus buaidh a’ Choronbhirus air buaidh a thoirt air luchd sanasachd. Mur eil sibh air a dhèanamh mar-tha, ma se ur toil, nach beachdaich sibh taic a chumail ri ar obair-naidheachd earbsach, a tha sinn a’ dearbhadh a tha fìor, le bhith toirt a-mach ballrachd digiteach.

How long will we put up with social media’s nurturing of anger, conspiracy theories and hate?

The recent BBC documentary, David Baddiel: Social Media, Anger and Us, asked whether, as a society, we would be better off, both in terms of our personal health and our politics, if social media never existed.

It may be entirely academic now, the genie is firmly out of the bottle, but it’s certainly a debate worth engaging with as we have a long way to go to better understand the insidious, debilitating effect that the monster – because that’s what it is in the wrong hands – can have on individuals, especially on young brains that are still developing.

It looks as if proper controls will be some way off as governments are restricted to their own jurisdictions while, of course, the social media platforms – namely Facebook and Twitter – work on a global scale and across borders. And it’s simply not in their commercial interests, currently, to place any curbs on freedoms.

It was instructive to see someone like David Baddiel – a published author and, while maybe better known as a comedian, someone of clear intellect and self-reflection – struggle to come to terms with his own relationship with social media.

As a public figure, he felt he had no choice but to engage, yet he clearly struggled with the love-hate relationship and the prospect that one misplaced tweet or message could ruin his career.

It’s maybe the modern dilemma for us all, but it can hardly be construed as healthy for peace of mind – and that’s without even considering the effect that vicious “trolls”, who hide behind a mask of anonymity, can have on their targets. There is the risk of mental health problems as a result of online bullying, particularly among the young, as we saw with Baddiel’s own daughter, and even suicide.

So the effect on an individual level is undeniable, but just as concerning is the effect on the collective.

Our politics have never been more polarised and it is no coincidence, as social media use becomes ever more pervasive in society, that people have been drawn to the fringes, the breeding grounds for anger and conspiracy. The two are absolutely linked.

It has debased our discourse and led to populist politicians being elected with reductive messages that work so well in online campaigning – such as “Get Brexit done” or “Make America great again”.

There is another damaging element, too. Given that all governments were united on the Covid pandemic and the need to develop a vaccine faster than was normal in ordinary circumstances, it is inconceivable that the anti-vaccers would have been able to so successfully peddle their myths without the aid of social media.

There is a genuine debate to be had over freedoms and controls and where the balance should lie. The BBC programme finished on a positive note for social media, with Baddiel getting countless messages of support from strangers about his dying father. But there is a very real question as to how long we should persist with a system which ostensibly relies on the manufacturing and the nurturing of anger and the damage that causes both to ourselves and society.