The pro-democracy protests in the Middle East in 2011 highlight the human capacity for flexible cooperation, which is driven by a belief in an imagined order. The development of the internet has made this imaginary order more diverse and collective action more frequent, but it also has the side effect of suppressing social diversity and promoting homogenized thinking. Emphasize the need for critical reception of information and respect for diversity.
In 2011, the Middle East saw a number of protests for democratization, including the Egyptian Revolution and the Algerian Revolution. These protests led to the downfall of several dictators and were labeled the “Arab Spring” by foreign media. These protests are a prime example of the results of human beings flexibly working together. Humans are arguably the only species on Earth capable of such organic, organized, and collective action. This ability has led to countless changes throughout history, allowing humans to evolve beyond mere survival.
In Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow, Yuval Noah Harari writes about the reasons why humans are uniquely capable of flexible cooperation, most notably our belief in an imagined order. In the old world, religion, or law, was the imaginary order. We’ve seen many examples of behavior driven by religious beliefs or the coercive force of the law, but there are many more kinds of imaginary orders today. For example, rooting for a favorite sports team can lead to collective action to support the team in the imagined order that the team wins. This is not limited to sports, but extends to a wide range of social and cultural phenomena. Political beliefs, economic ideologies, and even consumer brand loyalty are examples of imagined orders that are sustained by imagined orders.
The Internet is a big reason for the rise of many of these imaginary orders. The internet is now the largest information distribution center. With more information circulating, different kinds of imaginary orders can be proposed, and it becomes much easier to take collective action. In fact, the Internet itself is a space of electrical signals, and it cannot be thought of as an imaginary order in itself. In other words, the electrical signals that make up the Internet are just a medium that contains information of various imaginary orders. Therefore, the information and imaginary orders generated through the Internet have the power to greatly influence the reality in which we live.
Therefore, the Internet has led to more collective human behavior. We should use this phenomenon for the benefit of humanity. As I said before, if our collective tendencies are used for the benefit of humanity, such as revolutions or democratization movements, it’s fine. However, if it’s used in a negative way, it can have a huge negative impact on society. For example, fake news or misinformation can be spread, which can lead to hatred or prejudice against a particular group of people. This shows that an imaginary order spread over the internet can cause real problems in the real world.
In fact, in recent years, this collective tendency has even been used to suppress diversity and push humanity as a whole to think in a homogenized way. Examples include witch hunts and incitement against celebrities in the media. These situations are the result of individuals not taking information critically and getting swept up in the social atmosphere. The development of the internet has made information more readily available, but as a result, it is less often taken critically. This means that the reactions of a few people lead them to believe that those reactions represent the general consensus, and they conform to that opinion. This phenomenon highlights the problem of modern society, where individuals are easily swept up in the flood of information without a center.
Portal sites like Naver in South Korea provide users with information such as articles. Once an article is posted, there is a comment section that allows netizens to share their opinions. However, there is a sympathy or disagreement system in these comments. I think these systems are the main culprits that prevent diverse ideas and make the whole society have a homogenized idea and mindset. There is a phenomenon that if you express an opinion that is different from the opinion of the whole society, you will be criticized very much on the Internet, which is one of the causes of suppressing diverse ideas and making the whole society have a uniform mindset. In fact, the downside of this is that it can lead to incitement. For example, by manipulating the number of people who agree or disagree with a certain political event, it is possible to make the whole society have a biased mindset.
I also think that SNSs such as Facebook have contributed to our society’s homogenized mindset. Due to the nature of SNS, you can easily encounter a lot of information. This has led to the phenomenon of unconditionally accepting information without critically evaluating it. As a result, we can see that many users have a uniformed mindset due to the information on SNS. This reflects the psychology of modern people who get lost in the sea of information and easily agree with mainstream opinions.
We’ve already seen how uncritical acceptance of information on the internet can lead to negative consequences. If we want to be a positive influence in society, we need to be critical of information and respectful of diversity. Furthermore, there is a need for continued discussion and research on how our social, political, and economic structures can manage and coordinate the imaginary orders and collective behaviors that spread over the internet.
