The Bridge with Peter Mansbridge - Your Turn ... Social Media, Thumbs Up Or. Thumbs Down?

Episode Date: April 25, 2024

This week's question was about social media and whether you like or dislike it. I was surprised at the answers and maybe you will be too. Plus the Random Ranter is back after a week off and he's got some strong words for the rich!

And hello there, Peter Mansbridge here. You are just moments away from the latest episode of The Bridge. Social media. Do you like it or do you dislike it? Your opinions on your turn. Coming right up. And hello there, Peter Mansbridge here. You know, we've been thinking about this question for, well, for some time, probably for the last couple of years, because we talk about it so often, the impact of social media, whether it's Twitter, X, Instagram, TikTok, you name it. And the assumption I think has been

on the part of us who babble away on this podcast that the odds are you don't like it. You get upset about the kind of stuff that's on social media. And there's good reason to be upset about some things. But when we asked this question last week, I've been kind of surprised by the answer. The question was pretty straightforward. Do you like what you see on social media or do you dislike what you see on social media? That's basically what the question comes down to.

And I invited your commentary from across the country, as we do on this program every week, on your turn, the Thursday edition. Your opportunity to weigh in on some of the stuff that we talk about every week. And, you know, off and on, we've talked about the impact of social media, whether it's negative or positive, mainly on the issues of the day and the events of the day. So that was the question we posed to you and, you know, got a lot of answers. A lot of answers from some new people we haven't heard from before, which is great, which is always good, always looking for that. And we, you know, got some from some of our regulars too. So I kind of threw them all together and we decided which ones to go with

for this week. Now, because I think it's fair to say we hear so much negative commentary about social media, there was surprise here at the bridge that we got so many positive comments. In fact, our letters were pretty much divided 50-50 between negative and positive. I think we had one more comment on the positive side, what people liked compared to the negative, what they didn't like. So that's kind of the background to what we're going to talk about today.

And we also, of course, have our friend the Random Ranter, who we gave last week off on that special housing show with Sean Fraser. Your questions, his answers, and you be the judge. If you didn't hear it and you care about the housing issue, you might want to go dial it back and have a listen. It was pretty good and had a lot of listeners, a lot of reaction. All right, let's get going with your thoughts on this. Brett Christensen from Gannon-Ockway, Ontario. If you don't know Gannon-Ockway, it's sort of on the 401

between Toronto and Montreal. It's known as the gateway to the Thousand Islands. Anyway, Brett writes, the aspect I dislike the most is the algorithms and the social media platforms deciding what appears automatically for my consumption.

I'm right of center on the political spectrum, so I see far more right and unfortunately way too far right information. The ability to see both sides of an issue and make up my own mind is negatively impacted by the algorithms. I want balance and facts.

It seems social media works very hard to prevent that. Mary Reinhardt in Barrie, Ontario. She also kind of sees this algorithm issue as the problem. What I most dislike about social media is it has compromised my right to free choice. It's so obvious how their algorithms determine for me what I see, and at times, even when searching, the results. The subliminal presentations in something like Instagram suggest that free choice is being degraded constantly.

And one more along that same theme, Faith Koschetsky in St. John, New Brunswick. The use of algorithms limits discussion, limits education, promotes prejudice and tunnel vision. It also identifies vulnerable individuals and those amenable to influence. Now a few of the notes we got on the positive side. And this positive side was most mentioned. This one. Starting with Barb Dawson in Dresden, Ontario. That's about an hour, an hour and a bit southwest of London.

The one thing I like about social media is the connection I have been able to make with my overseas relatives. My parents emigrated from Scotland in 1952, leaving behind their parents and a total of 12 brothers and five sisters between them. Other than letters written on the blue tissue international mailers and a parcel at Christmas, those people were just names on papers to me, and many of them I was not even aware of. In the 1990s, in order to do a genetic profile for health purposes, I needed to obtain information from some of these people. I initially made contact via snail mail with an uncle that I found an address for and that eventually led to names and addresses of other uncles and cousins.

Through email and then Facebook, the number went from two aunts and uncles, excuse me, and three cousins, to a connection with almost all of my remaining cousins and their families. I've traveled to Scotland, England, and Spain and met with many of them, and some of them have traveled to Canada as well. This would never have happened to this extent without the benefit of social media.

Okay, I'm just going to cough for a minute. Hold on. There. That's better. I think I told you earlier that I was on an overseas flight this week, and that sometimes happens. You know, your sleep gets out of whack, and next thing you know, you're not sleeping well,

especially when you stay up in the middle of the night to watch the Leafs lose. Anyway, moving on. Rocco Rossi he's got a similar theme to what Barbara Dawson had to say Rocco is from Toronto every time I hear stories about the horrors of social media I'm comforted by the childlike wonder I see in the face of my 84-year-old father communicating with his immigrant diaspora family around the world. From Italy to Argentina to Australia to Germany to Canada and the U.S., photos and videos of impossibly cute babies growing up through all the milestones of life put a twinkle in his eyes. Sharing the final days with some of those same friends and relatives he'd grown up

with and who are now dying bring tears, but also gratitude that those times and experiences can be shared and supported without international travel that his own health no longer permits. He reminds me of the early years of his immigrant journey here in Canada, when we had to communicate by letters over weeks, including arranging specific times on specific days, on those rare days when he could afford a long-distance phone call. Yes, social media can and has been abused, but the dream and reality of instant global connectivity at next to no cost is a benefit I would not trade away. Here's another one along that same vein. Marilyn Wallace, one of our regulars from Fanny Bay, British Columbia.

You may forget Marilyn's name, but you won't forget where she's writing from. It's on the east coast of Vancouver Island. I taught high school for over 40 years with well over a thousand students in my classes. I loved my work. Social media has allowed me to continue a distant relationship with many of them. I congratulate them on post-secondary successes and celebrate their weddings and the births of their children. Some of them have lost a parent already, and because I also know the pain

of a parent dying far too soon, I send messages of support and condolence. Tragically, a few students have also passed away, so I'm able to reach out to families in their time of loss. I moved away when I retired to another province entirely, so none of this would have been possible without this technology. It is what I appreciate most in the complicated social media landscape. You know, some of these Some of these letters talk about connectivity, right? And that's all part of this But some of them also are just an improved way of talking to each other

Simply in terms of writing back and forth It's like, you know A modern day post office Although modern-day post office, although those in the post office would be horrified at me saying something like that. But, you know, whether it's email or what have you, just, you know, doing research on Google or whatever search engine you use. I remember in the last, well, literally the last days of my mother's life, and we're going back 10 or 15 years now, she was, you know, she was born in England. We were all

born in England, or at least my sister and I were born in England. My younger brother was born here in Canada. But she grew up in Liverpool and Lincoln. Early days Liverpool, later days Lincoln during the war. And she remembered all her addresses. And it was just at a time when, you know, search engines were pumping out all kinds of stuff. And I can remember her in her bed at the home she was in. And we sat there around her, the kids,

and we asked her for addresses. And she'd tell us an address, you know, somewhere in Liverpool, and we'd type it in to the search engine, and boom, up would pop up. An image of that house. And she couldn't believe it. Well, none of us could believe it, really, at that point. But it gave her a different kind of connectivity, you know, to her life and her times.

Anyway, Chuck Belanger in Pancourt, Ontario. Now, I think it's Pancourt. It looks like Payne Court. Historically, it's a French-speaking village, so it's likely pronounced as Pancourt, which means shortbread. It's in southwestern Ontario, about an hour east of Windsor. This is what Chuck writes. What I love about social media is the ability to reconnect with long-lost friends. I served in the Canadian Armed Forces, the Navy, from 1981 until 1960. Until social media was a thing, friends and acquaintances I had those years were just memories.

Since my daughters introduced me to Facebook, I've reconnected with many friends and even administered the ship pages I created. It's amazing the stories and memories shared. I even get together with many when I'm visiting Halifax. There's one more on being connected. Trevor Barry in Saanich, BC. I don't like social media. But in 2007, the summer after Facebook went universal, my 21-year-old

sister Tasha passed away in a tragic accident. I was recently graduated from UBC and Tasha had studied a year at Loyalist College in Ontario. We posted her death announcement and open invitation to her celebration of life using a new tool, Facebook Events. A week later, at a humble church in Mission, B.C., hundreds of folks, young and old alike, came to say goodbye and help our family grieve. Extended family was able to organize to travel together quickly because of Facebook. Tash's former classmates from across the country likewise. And every co-worker of mine from campus attended as well. I've never felt more love coming our way my entire life, and in at least a small way, I have to thank Facebook for that.

Okay, now to some more general comments sandy michelson from langley bc easy to list a ton of things i don't like about social media but what i love about social media is animal videos. From close-ups of beavers eating to silly panda antics to wombat rescues, I'm thankful for the ability to see so much of the pureness of animals. Carol Lavely in Stittsville, Ontario. It's just the west end of Ottawa. What I most appreciate about social media are the shared links to sources of information I would not come across on my own.

This could be links to newspaper articles, science reports, university-based analyses. I follow up on many of these. I keep on learning, thanks to an ever-widening field of resources. Lawrence Rainey in Muskoka, Ontario. What I don't like about social media, its widespread use now by malign foreign adversaries,

Russia, China, India, North Korea, Iran, to disrupt Western societies, promote division, resentment, intolerance and hatred. Attack our democracies and promote dangerous demagogues like Trump and Putin. We're in a very precarious moment for the relatively stable democratic world order in Western nations. We take it for granted. We must not. Luke Roy in Ottawa. As a high school teacher, there are lots of aspects of social media that I could bemoan. However, I'd like to focus on one of the ones that I see as highly positive. That's the level to which teenagers are informed on and about so many social, environmental, or political causes around the world.

Social media has, despite all of its faults, made it so much easier for all of us, but I think especially for young people who are particularly adept with it, to research topics and get a better, more grassroots understanding of topics that are of importance to them. Ultimately, that's got to be the goal, right? An informed, motivated, and involved youth. Michael Artendale in Sudbury. One thing about social media is both good and bad, being able to find people of like mind.

The good part is when you have a hobby or passion and can find people who can help you learn and support you. The bad is that if you're looking for others that support your negativity, you'll find them. Then you can organize and cause societal problems. Social media has made these things that much easier to do. Garth Labiche in Edmonton. What irks me most about social media is its pervasive influence

akin to something out of an old 70s mind control flick. It bothers me how people willingly surrender themselves to those who are suffering or self-destructive, dragging others along. It's as if everyone suddenly becomes an expert overnight, bypassing the time and dedication traditionally needed to master skills. That's pretty good, Garth.

Kate Wilson in Toronto. I definitely filter my social media topics, but in a 24-7 negative news cycle, I gain pleasure in seeing stories about people who do good, rescue animals from hunger and hurt, strive to make their neighborhood a better place, and make efforts to help with climate change. Okay.

We're about halfway through here. So, actually, halfway is a good time to take our break, right? Lots more still to come. And I find these interesting because I assumed, I don't know, maybe it's my negativity. I assumed when we put out this call for your opinions on social media that it was going to be a pretty continuous onslaught of negativity. And absolutely, there was some of that and warranted. But I find it interesting the number of people who said,

you know what, I kind of pass on all that stuff. I use it for other things. It's all about connectivity. Connecting with people I've lost in my life, sort of lost the way where they end up, or connecting to people who have interesting thoughts on the issues of the day. And, you know, as I said at the beginning of all the letters we got,

I think there's one more on the positive side than the group on the negative side, which is pretty interesting. Kind of the, you know, a 50-50 split. Anyway, as I said, let's take our break and we'll take it right now. Be right back with more of Your Turn on social media. All right, I'm sorry. You know, I control the board, you know, or the control center for the bridge, and sometimes I don't set the levels quite right,

and the sound comes. Blooming out. You know. If you think it's bad for you. I'm wearing a headset. And it just like. Sort of catches me off guard. Anyway.

You're listening to the bridge. Thursday episode. It's your turn. And you're. This week. It's your comments. On social media. What do you most like about social media? What do you most like about social media?

What do you most dislike about social media in your lives? And we've had some nice, interesting thoughts from all of you on this. Also today, it's Thursday, and it's Random Rancher Day. He had the week off last week, but he's back. He's back. We'll hear that in a couple of minutes. But he's definitely back. Okay.

Let's get back to our letters. Don Thompson in Winnipeg. I have a love-hate relationship with social media. I use Instagram and Facebook. One aspect that I love is the ability to use them like a journal. I'm not great at keeping a handwritten diary, but I am good at recording important events, pictures, etc., on my social media apps.

I treat my posts like a journal, and at the end of each year, I have a hardcover photo book printed of all my status updates and posts that highlight trips, celebrations, get-togethers with friends, funny things that happen, and lots of pictures of my dog. It's fun to look back on the year. I also enjoy rereading my posts over the COVID years as a good reminder to appreciate life. Boy, every once in a while I accidentally stumble

into one of the podcasts from one of the episodes of The Bridge, one of the thousand episodes of The Bridge now, that came up, especially in those first months of COVID. Well, that was another time. And I can recall kind of suggesting to you that you keep a diary because future generations will look back at that time and wonder, what was my family doing then? How were they handling that?

And some of this stuff is pretty surprising about what we did during that time period. Don Dufour in Ottawa. I'm constantly perplexed by the amount of time people spend scrolling on their phones through their various feeds. There is an addictive nature to social media, sometimes driven by FOMO, fear of missing out, that has really taken hold in many people's lives. I cite two potential dangers of this, which I observe most days while strolling in my neighborhood. Detrimental physical effects that looking down at a phone may have on one's neck and back health as they age. Safety issues.

When seeing parents pushing strollers with a precious cargo head down strolling on their phones, rather than being aware of their surroundings and nearby traffic flow. Yep, that's all right. Worse, reading your phone while you're driving. Casey Kearns in Calgary. I love to watch nature videos about beautiful things that I would never get to see without social media. People, places, and creatures are incredibly interesting,

and I watch these short videos to find joy and de-stress. There are some spectacular nature videos that are available. No doubt about that. Debbie Charonduke in Leduc, Alberta. You know Leduc, just south of Edmonton. You know, if you fly into Edmonton, you're going to be off the coast of Leduc. You kind of pass it on the drive into Edmonton.

It's just south of Edmonton, of course. It's the site of the first major oil strike in Alberta. And what year was that? Don't look it up. If you said 1948, you're wrong. It was 1947. You're confusing 1948 because that was the year I was born. Anyway, Debbie writes, I like Facebook because the birthdays of friends, relatives, and acquaintances pop up as messages first thing in the morning. How can you not like a reminder to make someone else's day be a bit brighter because you remembered them?

Makes you look like you got your stuff together. Liska Sorge, or Liska Sorge. Diamond Valley, Alberta, suburb of Calgary. What I dislike is how we judge and are judged on just a few attributes. That's it. That's Liska's point, and it's a good one. Spencer Stinson in Blenheim, Ontario. Spencer's an interesting guy.

Blenheim's in southwestern Ontario. Why do I say he's an interesting guy? I don't know him. I'd never met him until a couple of weekends ago. I was in London. We'd gone there. We had some appointment or something in London. We ended up going

shopping. I think we were in like a HomeSense or a Winners or something like that. And this guy passes me and he says, love the podcast. Like I was in my like Saturday nondescript outfit right I was wearing a hat baseball cap or something I can't remember Spencer's wife was there too and she just she looked at her husband and then she looked at me and she said something along the lines of,

you just made his day. Like, he's a huge fan of the bridge. I felt like saying, well, you know, and you? Like, you must listen too, right? But I didn't. Anyway, it was fun, and it was nice to meet Spencer. Anyway, he writes, Fear of missing out, or FOMO,

is one of the most detrimental parts of social media. I don't care or get caught up in the hubbub, but I see many around me bending over backwards, trying to do the latest things or keep up with the latest trends, all because their friends or celebrities are doing the latest hip things, oftentimes overspending and overindulging. It's a vicious cycle with real mental health side effects too. My opinion, unplug, find a good book, or take up a new hobby or skill.

Like riding through the bridge, right, Spencer? Marge Andre in Richmond Hill, Ontario. That's just north of Toronto, right? I really like the effectiveness of social media for spreading the word. It's easy to do, fast, and costs nothing. I do try to log on only three times a day for a maximum of five minutes. Some recent examples for me, the loons arrived back on the lake at the cottage.

A cottage neighbor passed away. Sharing a beautiful sunrise. Encouraging people to attend a friend's event. Ryan Zaitsoff in Chilliwack, BC. One thing I don't like about social media is the anonymity. Because of the anonymity, people are empowered to engage in all sorts of, let's say, poor behavior, hate speech, threats, intimidation.

It allows people to say and do whatever they want without any consequences. You're brave enough to say it, you should have the courage to back it up with your real name. Patrick Talon in L'Original, Ontario, about an hour east of Ottawa. As a business person, I appreciate LinkedIn as a social media platform primarily for its business-oriented environment. Unlike other outlets, LinkedIn fosters positivity and meaningful interactions, steering clear of political discourse and the noise of fake news. We leverage it extensively to showcase our company's offerings, attract top talent, and stay connected with our clientele. Moreover, its functionality to research individuals prior to meetings is invaluable, enhancing our preparedness and facilitating smoother interactions.

LinkedIn serves as an indispensable networking tool, enabling us to forge valuable connections within our industry. Sharon Carney in Toronto. The thing I dislike most about social media is the way it promotes itself as helping people stay better connected when I strongly believe it does the very opposite. I've been lucky in my life to experience close, intimate friendships

that have anchored me through challenging and painful seasons in my life. These relationships have come about through a mutual willingness, over a long period of time, to be vulnerable and open, taking the risk to share personal failings, weaknesses, and regrets, as well as joys and successes. The culture of social media is to curate the image of yourself that you would like others to see and believe, whether or not it's accurate. We filter not only the photos themselves, but what parts of ourselves we want to protect. And I believe this only exacerbates our loneliness in the end.

True connection between people cannot exist without mutual listening. But social media, by its very design, promotes the notion of I talk, you listen. This is not the soil in which deep, meaningful relationships that we all need and long for can thrive and grow. Thanks, Sharon. Pierre Roy in Ottawa. I'm not connected to social media at all, not ever, not Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Twitter, and certainly not Facebook, nor anything else one can think of.

I'm 67 years old, and when these fashions first came out, I resolved not to join. Their effort didn't seem to be worth the limited returns. Now, some 20 years later, I still live a happy, balanced life. I get all my news from other sources, and if I want to exchange experiences or stories to and from with people I care for, I go see them, call them, or email or text them. Here's the last one

it's from Karen Bosche in Edmonton listening to podcasts helps satisfy my inner need to think, talk, debate interact listen and learn even when I'm alone listening to a variety talk, debate, interact, listen and learn. Even when I'm alone.

Listening to a variety of podcasts keeps me both more informed and entertained. Hey, I've just purchased a membership in a political party for the first time in my life. Podcast chatter has helped make me more motivated to do so. That's interesting because, you know, listen, we live in a world where there are thousands, tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands of podcasts out there. All right?

There are just lots of them. And so many of them are so good. You can be entertained. You can be educated. You can be informed. You can be, you know, you can get into some great discussions and dialogue as a result of podcasts. You know, how many times have you been out to dinner with friends

or lunch or breakfast and somebody at the table says, I found a new podcast I listen to all the time. It's great. Blah, blah, blah. And you kind of exchange notes and you dial it up. I mean, I do a lot of driving, especially between Toronto and Stratford, back and forth a lot. And that's a drive, depending on the traffic,

of anywhere between an hour and a half, two hours. You're going to listen to a lot of stuff there. And that's what I do. Conventional radio, I just don't listen to as much anymore. Some things I dial in, you know, when there's live coverage of some event I think is important, I'll listen to it. But for the most part now, it's podcasts. Especially ones that deal with history.

I'll listen to a lot of those. But our podcasts, social media. You're not sure where I stand on that, right? There's clearly some debate out there about whether podcasts should count as social media. Most sources seem to say no, because it's one way. I mean, I listen to a history podcast. I don't dialogue

with the history podcast. I don't dialogue with the history podcast. Now, you have the luxury right here on the bridge of once a week having your turn, your opportunity to make it a two-way conversation. so maybe there's maybe there's a little bit of social media in the bridge I'm not sure it's an interesting discussion

alright alright those are your thoughts those are your thoughts on the social media question All right. Those are your thoughts. Those are your thoughts on the social media question. Good thing, bad thing. And I thank you, as I do every week, for sharing your thoughts with me and with our audience on the question of the week.

We'll have a new one next week. All right, you know what time it is? It's that time. It's that time for that guy. You know, our friend. Here he comes. The Random Renter.

I find it laughable how that anytime there's talk about taxing the rich, we get inundated with doom and gloom arguments about how capital is mobile and taxing it will cause a mass exodus of investment. I just don't buy it. The argument just doesn't make any sense. I mean, wealth has never been so concentrated in this country. The wealthiest 20% of Canadians account for nearly 68% of the country's net worth, while the bottom 40% account for just 3%. If we can't tax the rich, then who are we going to tax? How are we ever going to balance our books or fix our problems? Look, as far as I'm concerned, not taxing the rich is just an unsustainable race for the bottom.

But you know who doesn't care about that? The rich. They're insulated from our everyday problems. They're not worried about affordable housing. They don't even care about the price of Wagyu. They're rich. They're insulated from our everyday problems. They're not worried about affordable housing. They don't even care about the price of Wagyu. They're rich and they're entitled. And if we threaten to tax them, they'll quickly remind us that they're also mobile. Well, I say it's time to call their bluff because at this point we can't afford not to. Corporate tax rates have been steadily falling since the

50s, and the promise has always been that cutting taxes will be good for the economy. It will create more jobs. It'll create more growth, and that growth will more than make up the difference. Well, it hasn't happened. What has happened is that the rich have never been richer. Our social safety net has never been as underfunded, and income inequality has never been more pronounced. It's like we're living in two separate realities. I mean, for a lot of people, it feels like we're in a recession. But when you look at the numbers, it shows we're clearly not. From housing to the cost of living to high interest rates, regular people are hurting, yet still inflation persists and still the economy grows. But we're not all sharing in that growth. There are winners and there are

losers, and you can guess which ones the rich are. And to make matters worse, they're not even satisfied with low taxes. They want more. I mean, when was the last time there was a significant investment by private enterprise that didn't include some kind of massive involvement from one or all levels of government? They might not like paying taxes, but they've got no problem spending them. I mean, think about the billions of tax dollars going to Stellantis and Volkswagen, the billions of tax dollars going to the oil and gas industry, the millions here and the billions there, all going to industries that are already making billions. It's ridiculous. Now, I'm not saying spending tax dollars to support industry is all bad. I'm saying that with our low tax rates, it's unsustainable. Sure,

they create jobs, and those jobs will generate taxes, but it'll never be enough to make up what we need. And what we need is higher corporate tax rates. We need to tax the ultra-rich, and we need to shrink the income gap by redistributing some of the wealth. And all this reminds me, I'm not rich. Taxes are due next week, and I've got a check to cut. I think the scariest line in that whole thing was the last one. Taxes are due next week. That's right, April 30th. It's almost there.

Got yours done? Well, better get at it. Okay, that's our Thursday episode. That's our Your Turn for this week. I hope you've enjoyed it. We will pick a new question for next week, and we'll hear from the ranter again, obviously, next week as well. We should throw that question out maybe sometime about taxes,

because I don't know whether there's a universal thought on that one, just like there was certainly not a universal thought on social media. Maybe we'll consider that. Anyway, I'll think about it this weekend. We'll announce the question for next week on Monday. Tomorrow, it's your turn. Chantel and Bruce are by. Lots to talk about. I say that every week.

Because sometimes we start our conversation, we go, wow, can we really fill an hour here? And then we're scrambling at the end, trying to squeeze in more and more thoughts into the final moment or two. We always seem to find something to talk about, and we will again tomorrow, right here on the bridge. I'm Peter Mansbridge. Thanks so much for listening.

We'll talk to you again in 24 hours.