SECTION B
Essay
125 marks
'Social media' is inherently a selfish medium.
WRITE IN
90 min
1,000–1,200 words
Reading the topic
The claim is that social media is built around the self: self-display, likes and personal branding. The examiner expects a test of whether this selfishness lies in the medium's design, the attention economy, or in users, and whether its record in mobilisation, solidarity and emergencies disproves the word inherently.
ThesisSocial media is designed to reward self-display, but it is not inherently selfish, because the same tools carry solidarity, so the problem lies in design incentives that can be reformed.
Dimensions to cover
- 1Design: likes, follower counts and algorithms reward self-promotion and outrage, giving the medium a built-in pull towards the self
- 2Psychology: constant comparison fuels anxiety and narcissism, especially among adolescents
- 3Society: campaigns and crowdfunding show social media enabling help for strangers, against the selfish label
- 4Politics: social media gave voice to protest movements but also spreads polarisation and misinformation
- 5Economy: platforms profit by capturing attention, so the selfishness may belong to business models more than users
- 6Regulation: laws on platform accountability and age limits show societies trying to correct design, not ban the medium
Counter-view
- One may argue all communication tools are neutral and selfishness lies in people. The essay should accept user agency but show that design choices nudge behaviour, so the medium is not purely neutral either
Open and close
- Open: Open with a teenager who posts a selfie at a flood relief camp and gets a thousand likes, and a stranger who uses the same app to send money to the family in the photo
- Close: Conclude that social media will be as selfish or generous as its design and its users choose, so reform must target both
Where marks usually go
- Writing a generic pros and cons essay on social media and ignoring the word inherently
- Moralising against youth without discussing algorithms and business models
- Overloading the essay with platform statistics without argument
Examples that fit
- ThinkerSherry Turkle argues that constant connection makes people present themselves rather than truly relate, being alone together.Sherry Turkle, Alone Together (2011)
- ThinkerJonathan Haidt links smartphone-based social media to rising anxiety among adolescents, pointing to design that exploits the self.Jonathan Haidt, The Anxious Generation (2024)
- CaseDuring the 2021 Covid second wave, Indians used social media to relay oxygen and hospital bed requests for strangers.Contemporary reporting, April-May 2021
- CurrentAustralia's law barring under-16s from holding accounts on major social media platforms shows states treating design, not users, as the problem.Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Act 2024, Australia
- CurrentIndia's IT Rules, 2021 placed due-diligence and grievance duties on platforms, reflecting concern about their social effects.Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021