How to Engage Responsibly on Social Media (w/ Katherine Cross) | How to Be a Better Human | TED

Overview

This episode explores the role of social media in modern political and social engagement, featuring insights from Katherine Cross, a researcher on online harassment and author of Log Off: Why Posting and Politics (Almost) Never Mix. The discussion delves into the limitations of social media as a tool for meaningful change, its structural flaws, and how it shapes behavior. Cross also offers strategies for engaging responsibly online while emphasizing the importance of offline community-building and political work.

Notable Quotes

- Social media tricks us into thinking we’re engaged in collective action, but it’s a public square where nothing ever changes. – Katherine Cross

- We are not built to deal with millions of people’s raw emotions screaming at us all at once. – Katherine Cross

- Use social media to meet people, but then really find your people. It’s not a community—it will eat you alive if something goes wrong. – Katherine Cross

📱 The Illusion of Social Media as Political Action

- Social media creates the illusion of collective action but often fails to translate into meaningful political change.

- Katherine Cross argues that platforms like Twitter and Facebook reduce politics to metrics (likes, shares) that are not equivalent to real-world organizing or voting.

- Social media fosters monadic individualism, where users feel part of a collective but lack the deeper connections needed for sustained action.

- The design of social media incentivizes outrage and performative activism, often sidelining quieter, meaningful successes.

⚖️ The Anti-Political Nature of Social Media

- Cross describes social media as anti-political because it scatters communities and demobilizes collective action.

- Platforms encourage users to substitute sincere, day-to-day political work with quick, performative gestures like posting hashtags or memes.

- She highlights the dangers of relying on social media for activism, noting that it often amplifies cynicism and detachment from real-world politics.

💻 Harassment and the Structure of Social Media

- Cross introduces the concept of third-order harassment, where public discourse about a target indirectly fuels abuse.

- Example: The Chili Woman incident, where a kind gesture spiraled into widespread online criticism and harassment.

- Social media’s design—its affordances—makes it uniquely suited to amplify harassment, as users are incentivized to pile on without direct accountability.

- Even well-meaning discussions about harassment targets can unintentionally perpetuate harm.

🏛️ The Hard Work of Politics and Community-Building

- Real political change requires sustained, offline efforts like organizing, negotiating, and building coalitions.

- Cross emphasizes that politics is inherently social and cannot be replaced by individualistic online actions.

- She cites Hannah Arendt’s philosophy, which underscores the interplay between individual and collective action in politics.

🔧 Rethinking Social Media Engagement

- While Cross acknowledges the utility of social media for marginalized groups to find connection, she advises using it as a tool rather than a substitute for real community.

- She advocates for friction in platform design—features that slow down virality and encourage critical engagement (e.g., prompts to read articles before sharing).

- Users should critically evaluate their online actions: What is the goal? Is social media the best tool for achieving it?

- Cross highlights examples of effective social media use, such as targeted fundraising campaigns, but stresses that these are exceptions rather than the norm.