The Death of the Newsfeed: How Overload and Tragedy of the Commons Are Changing Social Media

The Death of the Newsfeed: How Overload and Tragedy of the Commons Are Changing Social Media

In today's digital age, social media platforms have become an integral part of our lives. We use them to connect with friends, share our thoughts and experiences, and stay updated on the latest news and trends. However, as these platforms have evolved, so have the challenges they present. Two concepts, Dunbar's number and Zuckerberg's law, have played a significant role in shaping the way we interact with social media.

Dunbar's number is a rule of thumb that suggests we can only maintain meaningful relationships with a limited number of people, typically a few hundred. This implies that we probably don't know hundreds of people well enough to friend them on Facebook. However, with the rise of social media, especially Facebook, our friend lists have expanded far beyond Dunbar's number. We find ourselves connected to acquaintances, colleagues, and even distant relatives whom we may not have a close relationship with. This has led to a phenomenon known as overload.

The asymmetric feed of social media platforms like Facebook has made it normal, rather than rude, to post frequently. Since we are sharing our updates to our entire feed, rather than explicitly sending them to someone, we feel justified in posting lots of content, even if it may not be of utmost importance. The tragedy of the commons comes into play here - we are expected to post content, but by doing so, we overload each other's feeds. Our desire to share everything we deem significant creates a cluttered and overwhelming experience for our friends and connections.

Furthermore, as social media platforms try to keep up with users' changing desires, they constantly adjust their algorithms to reflect these changes. Google, for example, shows us search results based on what we explicitly tell it we want. This targeted approach has been successful for Google. However, Facebook faces a different challenge. It has no direct signal to determine what it "shouldn't" show us, even if our uncle shared it. The question of what should be shown, who should decide, and how the weighting should be done becomes complex and subjective.

This shift towards a personalized feed raises another important question - if the feed is focused on "what do I want to see?", then it cannot prioritize "what do my friends want or need me to see?" The balance between personal preferences and social obligations becomes blurred, leading to a swing between different forms of expression on social media platforms.

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