We Design With Aptitude

The Polemic

Social Media - The Writing Is On The Wall


Empathy a human trait we all possess in abundance has been ebbing away since "Social Media" came into the scene - arguably. Embracing new technology is what we humans do. We have come a long way from creating fire with the help of some flint and friction ( the latter a physical process we've now become accustomed to in a subject matter called physics). So when you hear people labelling someone technophobe because they genuinely feel social media is causing more harm than good, you should be very careful and cautious of snake oil salesmen. It is impossible to halt the progress of technology- it is what drives us. Social media is just a foreboding of a catastrophic failure waiting in the wind if we do nothing. The outage that happened on 06-10-2021 and the ramifications from that (short spell) is a warning we need legislation now rather than later that governs how these oligopolies should operate. Rebranding is an old trick we should not fall for - Social Media to a Metaverse. Virtual reality is what it is. The hype about digital worlds and augmented reality pops up every few years, but usually dies away. Humans are social beings just leave it at that.

I still avoid using emoticons in formal and informal correspondence. I can not see the relevance. Just as I can not see the relevance of social network platforms. Do not get me wrong I am not stipulating an equivalence here. Let me explain - my cautious use of the social networks has nothing to do with paranoia about privacy and yes to a certain extent, I welcome the unprecedented transparency and connectivity that these services can empower. But what’s increasingly becoming so scary is the wider social and political cost of our ever-greater enmeshment in these proprietary networks - whose only raison d'être is to sell our own written personal content and keep the money(sic).

“When you’re young, you make mistakes and you do some stupid stuff,” formerPresident Obama warned high-school students in Virginia a couple of years ago. “Be careful about what you post on Facebook, because in the YouTube age whatever you do will be pulled up later somewhere in your life.” He’s damn right. Maybe he was thinking of his two young girls - shouldn't we all. One thing people are not fully appreciative of is the permanency of the internet - anything posted online might come to haunt you, yet all of us need space to grow. The media (print and screen) is full of stories of people whose lives have been turned apart because of petty jokes and classroom banter they did with friends at primary and secondary schools on their social media pages. Imagine some of the stuff you now have on your profile as a 19-year-old university student, would you like those things to be still associated with you intact 10, 20, 30 years hence? To err is human used to be so sacrosanct. We forgive and be forgiven has always been a human trait. What are we doing to humanity?

The Rwandan genocide occurred between 7 April and 15 July 1994 during the Rwandan Civil War. This was pre-social media. Can you imagine that happening now where everyone has a broadcasting platform in their hands (smartphones)? In a way, some would argue that it could have helped to expose what was going on a lot quicker to the outside world. Well, the counterargument to that is - these platforms are not neutral. The recent tiff between Twitter, Facebook, and the former USA president, the Nigerian President, and a host of others just goes to show they can be very political and become complicit in events with far-reaching consequences.

It is not just politics - the Instagram influencer Nigerian Hush Puppi who scammed and swindled 100s of millions from all and sundry and now languishing in prison only after the FBI got involved is a lesson to be learned. He preached how he was so blessed that God was sending him all this cash for him to look immaculate and with the best wardrobe money can buy, he duly obliged. Be circumspect of blessed souls in a human carcass. They might show some sign of perspicacity but by and large, they are perfidious. Did Instagram or its parent company Facebook ever question how he was making all this dosh? No, because they were making their cuts and by extension also blessed. You have to wonder who the hell is this deity throwing blessings around willy-nilly. Satan the devil maybe?

Take your political hat off for a moment - Is Joe Biden being treated in the same way they treated the previous incumbent? They acquiesce with everything he says or does even though anyone with two brain cells can see the obvious bias. The current human catastrophe masquerading as an orderly queue in the southern borders is even worst than the shambles to leave the airport in Kabul a couple of weeks ago. What have these guardians of moral rectitude (social, screen and print media) said about it? Leaving Afghanistan with no pre-planning was a disaster in every way you care to look at it. When you have got a situation where the actual foot soldiers are showing their disgust about how the elites (armchair generals et al) have handled the situation and in so doing, get locked up in prison for not following orders, you might just also come to the assertion that "the most dangerous of all falsehoods a slighted distorted truth". Exigency comes to the fore. This complicity is fracturing the fabric that holds the nation together.

Facebook (WhatsApp, Instagram), Twitter, and Google (YouTube) (the latter may be to a lesser extent) exist to make money, by selling advertisers the means to target you with ever greater precision. That explains the endless series of “privacy” headlines, as these unregulated businesses push boundaries to make it easier for paying third parties to access your likes, interests, photos, social connections, and purchasing intentions. That’s why Facebook has made it harder for users to understand exactly what they’re giving away — why, for instance, its privacy policy has grown from 1,004 words in 2005 to 6,830 words today (by comparison, as the New York Times has pointed out, the U.S. Constitution is 4,543). Founder Mark Zuckerberg once joked dismissively about the “dumb fucks” who “trust me”. I admire the business Zuckerberg et al have built, but do I trust any of them? The answer is an unequivocal NO.

What is Good for the Goose is also good for the Gander: Information you supply for one purpose will invariably be used for another. Phone up to buy a pizza, and the order-taker’s computer gives her access to your voting record, employment history, library loans — all “just wired into the system” for your convenience. She’ll suggest a beefy pork pizza as she knows about your 42-inch waist, she’ll add a delivery surcharge because a nearby robbery yesterday puts you in “a red zone” — and she’ll be on her guard because you’ve checked out the library book Dealing With Depression. This is where the Council for Civil Liberties sees consumerism going — and it’s not too hard to believe. Already surveys suggest that 35 percent of firms are rejecting applicants because of information found on social networks. What makes you think you can control what happens to your personal data?

And besides, why should we let businesses privatize our social discourse? Some day you should take time to read those 6000 and over words of Facebook privacy rules. it’s Facebook that owns the right to do as it pleases with your data and to sell access to it to whoever is willing to pay. Yes, it’s free to join — but with over 3.5 billion of us now using it to connect, it’s worth asking ourselves how far this “social utility” (its own term) is really acting in the best interests of society.


Recent research has grouped the negative effects of Social Media into six themes:

  1. Cost of social exchange: includes both psychological harms, such as depression, anxiety, or jealousy, and other costs such as wasted time, energy, and money

  2. Annoying content: includes a wide range of content that annoys, upsets, or irritates, such as disturbing or violent content or sexual or obscene content

  3. Privacy concerns: includes any threats to personal privacy related to storing, repurposing, or sharing personal information with third parties

  4. Security threats: refers to harms from fraud or deception such as phishing or social engineering

  5. Cyberbullying: includes any abuse or harassment by groups or individuals such as abusive messages, lying, stalking, or spreading rumours

  6. Low performance: refers to a negative impact on job or academic performance.


Technology as recent as a couple of years ago was supposed to bring us all closer - remember the global village? The emergence of an old doctrine - "critical race theory" the epitome of this dramatic change in attitude towards anyone with a different point of view has put paid to that paradigm. Here is how the woke brigade often responds - "There is no war against free speech. You are perfectly free to say what you want, so long as it aligns with our prevailing view" we the oligopolies accountable to no one and if you dare you will be canceled by us obviously. We have done so to the former incumbent of the White House. A black woman questions the authenticity of a white female with breaded hair as cultural appropriation while she has got a Brazilian blond wig on. And rest assured it was not carnival week either. The irony never lost on her. Wokery is definitely diminishing our thinking process to the extent that we are becoming perfidious. How did we get here?

A former Facebook employee Frances Haugen turned whistleblower is now (as of today 15-10-2021) given testimony to Congress about how the company operates. The British parliament is also very keen to talk to her. Mark Zuckerberg and Nick Clegg have complained that she has only presented a partial view of the company, whereas they want to stop any insights into how the company manages harmful content to get into the public domain unless they have personally approved them. Harmful content is the bread and butter of social media in case you did not already know. Where we have outsourced part of our brain to electronic devices.

We all hope that this is a cyclical thing and we’ll work our way through it and everyone will realize that we operate on a very broad spectrum and we mustn’t diminish our abilities to think from different perspectives. Institutions are not spineless - it's the governance & leadership elites who are too busy virtue signaling to each other to realize how useless they seem to be. Here is another anecdote - a football ground screen advertisement board had this caption splashed all over it - "The act of taking the knee is a matter for the individual and should be respected". It ended with " anyone who doesn't agree is not welcome". Spineless Institutions will always exacerbate the problem. We have now come to a situation where those who are quite able to express an opinion are those who are not scared of losing their job. Think about it for a minute. On second thought, take as much time as you want. What a pity we now have a situation where good people are full of hesitancy and outright fear of doing the right thing while bigots are brimming over with confidence. Empowering the lowest form of human life will not get us anywhere but dystopia. They are balkanizing society systematically with manipulative algorithms that split us into separate nuclear bunkers, nurturing a conspiracy universe among the ‘basket of deplorables’ on the one side, while nurturing the pathological grievances of identity politics on the other. This is the status quo of all social media as we know it today.

As we are now very aware, the internet isn't the large-scale distributed network that DARPA (the Défense Advanced Research Projects Agency), the original architects of the internet, tried to create, which could withstand a nuclear strike on any part of it. The aforementioned recent outage is a case in point. The protocols it uses today are basically the same ones that were drafted when we connected to mainframe computers from dumb terminals. A single glitch in its core infrastructure brings the whole thing crashing down. This is the juncture where there should be a political will to interfere with the infrastructure to make it more resilient. In so doing, the government can take the upper hand and bring in some legislation on how social media operates. Breaking the current state and power of the Oligopolies - Facebook (Instagram and WhatsApp), Twitter and Google (YouTube). The sooner the better for mankind. Here is a sober thought - if that recent outage lasted for a day, a week, a month, maybe a year what would the repercussions be? Maybe normality will ensue and we will all breathe fresh air again, talk to our real families and friends and maybe just maybe use the phone to talk to someone we can not physically reach. There is seemingly almost nothing good to say about Facebook if a conclusion were to be drawn from the recent testimony given by former employer Frances Haugen in Washington DC and London respectively. Profit for the company though seems to defy all reasonable logic as evidenced in the company's stock price recently.

There is though, an existential threat just lurking around the corner as revealed by the Facebook files. These show the extent to which the company is losing traction with young people. Its user base is aging and the kids that Facebook needs to engage if it wants to remain relevant think the platform is “boring, misleading and negative”. What’s more, internal documents don’t seem particularly optimistic that the company can turn this around easily. Facebook may be performing well financially for the moment, but its continued success is far from a given. The writing may just be on the wall albeit faintly - it is still fresh. And just in case it slipped your attention, the rebranding to Metaverse is a clue. It is just another step away from interaction with real people. Just like its current configuration, this one has far more potential to endanger society. When we make the virtual world seem better than the real thing, the implications are huge. The only way to protect ourselves against the damage caused by Facebook et al is to start relying on other information sources for joy and edification.

A Possible Solution - Internalize The Externalities


Ensuring social media platforms are safe for children requires changing the incentives for these companies. One approach is to hold them financially accountable for any harm caused by their platforms. This means they would need to compensate for damages such as mental health issues, cyberbullying, or exposure to harmful content. By internalizing these externalities, social media companies would be more motivated to implement safer practices and better protect young users.

One thing we have all learned invariably and to some extent, sometimes to our amusement and sometimes to our horror is the desire for humans to have their biases and prejudices confirmed. These platforms amplify it to a degree that no other medium has done or can do. It is inherent in their design as so many whistle-blowers have testified their AI algorithm notwithstanding.

And here is the sine qua non - all social media influencers to get a real job for once - I digress.

Concentration – The absence of irrelevant thought. How we need that now so desperately.


Talk To Us

Most Recent Technology News

From The BBC


I played the £75 Mario Kart World on Switch 2 - was it worth it?
The BBC gets hands-on with the hotly anticipated Nintendo Switch 2, launching in June.


Vance confident TikTok will be sold in US as deadline looms
Despite the increasing number of potential buyers, neither the app nor its Chinese owner have confirmed they will do a deal.


'Google AI presented my April Fools' story as real news'
Journalist Ben Black was "shocked" to discover his fake news from five years ago used by AI.


Tesla sales plunge after Elon Musk backlash
The car maker's sales slide has been attributed to competition and controversy around its boss.


Nintendo announces Switch 2 release date - and a new Mario Kart game
More than a million people watched online as details of the long awaited successor to the hit console were announced.


Parents allowed to block children's games and friends on Roblox
They are the latest safety measures from the gaming platform, which has faced questions over inappropriate content.


Screen time in bed linked to worse sleep, study finds
The research found a correlation between looking at a screen in bed and reporting insomnia and sleep loss.


Could TikTok be banned again and who might buy it?
The president says he would like TikTok to 'remain alive' as his extended deadline for its sale-or-ban approaches.


Kink and LGBT dating apps exposed 1.5m private user images online
The often-explicit pictures are being stored without password protection, leaving them vulnerable to a hack.


Musk's xAI buys his social media platform X
The move could be aimed at protecting investors, who helped him buy purchase X, from losing money.


Amateur photographers hope to fix Wikipedia's 'terrible' pictures
The site is littered with awful photos, particularly of celebrities - but a volunteer project is trying to fix that.


Center Parcs removes X account from website after fake account set up
An IT consultant took charge of the Center Parcs UK's handle after the firm deactivated its account.


'UK crowds are the best': Does home advantage make a difference in esports?
The Rocket League Championship Series Birmingham Major brings together the 16 best teams in the world


Assassin's Creed maker gets $1.25bn Chinese investment
Shenzhen-based Tencent, which owns the popular messaging app WeChat, will hold about a quarter of a new subsidiary.


China tariffs may be cut to seal TikTok sale, Trump says
Trump also said he is willing to extend a 5 April deadline for a non-Chinese buyer of the platform to be found.


NHS software provider fined £3m over data breach after ransomware attack
Security failings by the Advanced Computer Software Group led to a cyberattack in 2022 that impacted NHS services.


Atomfall: How a forgotten nuclear disaster inspired a video game
A new video game has brought the 1957 disaster in Cumbria back into the spotlight.


H&M to use digital clones of models in ads and social media
Some fear the move could mean less work for models, photographers and make-up artists.


Social media ban not practical or effective, teens say
The youth parliament says it wants more action from MPs and social media companies on violent online content.


23andMe users struggle to delete their highly sensitive data
Multiple users said they had problems after the DNA-testing firm filed for bankruptcy protection.


Chinese electric carmaker BYD sales beat Tesla
The Shenzhen-based firm says revenue for last year came in at $107bn, boosted by sales of its hybrid vehicles.


Honest or unrealistic? Roblox boss's online safety advice sparks debate
Hundreds of people contacted the BBC after Dave Baszucki spoke about safety on the hugely popular gaming platform.


Uber offers 20 hours of free childcare in bid to lure female drivers
A union says it should instead pay drivers more so they can take time off with their families.


'Chubby filter' pulled from TikTok after user backlash
Critics say the AI tool - which made people look overweight - was a form of body-shaming.


Google agrees to pay $28m in racial bias lawsuit
The tech giant confirmed it had "reached a resolution" but rejected the allegations made against it.


Tech Life
UN agencies are worried about rising cases of satellite navigation signal interference.


Tech Now
Can we clean up air travel? Adrienne Murray explores developments in electric flight.


Tech Life
Noland Arbaugh has a chip in his brain to translate his thoughts into computer commands.


Click
Lara Lewington explores how technology and AI are transforming what it means to be human.


Tech Life
How the US government’s crackdown on diversity deleted women’s military contributions.


Tech Life
Find out how holoportation 3D telemedicine technology is helping patients in Ghana.


Watch: A real-life flying car takes to the skies
From science-fiction to the real world, flying cars are here - but could the concept actually take off?


What's next for social media?
Start-up social media firms are looking to capitalise on dissatisfaction with the social media giants.


Tech Life: Living life with a mind-reading chip
Noland Arbaugh has a chip in his brain to translate his thoughts into computer commands.


The slow but steady advance of driverless vehicles
Robo-taxi services and driverless trucks are gaining ground but progress is painstaking.


Disasters spur investment in flood and fire risk tech
Services that assess climate change risks are springing up for home buyers, insurers and lenders.


Can AI help modernise Ireland's healthcare system?
Ireland is investing billions of euros to revamp its healthcare service - will AI help?


Countries compete to keep skilled young workers
EU nations hope that tax benefits might encourage young, skilled workers to stay, but will they work?


Will quantum computers disrupt critical infrastructure?
Quantum computers will be able to crack existing encryption and threaten critical infrastructure.


Hair: 'It’s just thrown away but it's gold'
India is the world's biggest exporter of human hair but it wants more of the lucrative wig market.


Why do kindness influencers get criticised?
Kindness influencers give away money and gifts but not everyone supports their work.


Why employees smuggle AI into work
Many staff are using AI at work without the permission of their employers.


Leaving X can be a tricky decision for brands
Many companies have left X but it's not always a simple decision.


Will young developers take on key open source software?
The founders of important open source software are getting older, who will take over?


GPs turn to AI to help with patient workload
Should more AI be used to help GPs with consultations and administrative work?


How AI uncovers new ways to tackle difficult diseases
Pharmaceutical firms are turning to AI to find new molecules that might be able to tackle disease.


What We Do

Being abreast with technology is a very tasking procedure especially if you are a small enterprise. We can take the load off or make it more bearable - making sure all the tools with regards to your site for updating dynamic content, branding and bespoke marketing responsive HTML5 emails are at your finger tips. Adding new functionalities as you grow is the default.

Our Approach

We believe in utilizing the power and influence of the Internet to help clients grow their business. Building results-driven digital solutions that is leveraged on current methodology and technology. This synergy results in a platform with cutting-edge design, development, branding and marketing. However, if all the aforementioned is to be accomplished, you need people with the know-how and wherewithal to put it all together.

Why Choose US

Our strategic services provide customized, digital solutions to turn your business into an industry leader. Our team plan, design, and develop outstanding website solutions that are in tandem with current technologies. Responsive websites from a single code base. Thus, making scaling up and enhancement very flexible.

The platform called the internet, to all intents and purposes comprise of websites. These in turn, are made-up of individual pages with common hyper-links interspersed. In it default state, it is very much a visual medium. Hence, in the design of a web-page, foremost in the structure and layout construction must be the end goal - rendition in a web browser.

The interactions within a web-page interface and layouts can only be experienced as a whole not through fragmentations. That is why our design approach in creating bespoke responsive website is unique. Most agencies will present you during the initial stages of design and deliberations, with mock-ups. We do not think these processes and procedures serve any purpose because fragmentations will never provide or emulate anything close to the real thing. Here at Torometech, we use your initial brief to design an interface that will showcase all the salient features your services or products exhibit.

INNOVATION IS A STATE OF MIND

Work, rest and play makes for a healthy body, mind and soul. Here, we adhere to these principles to the letter

Recent Portfolio

Here is an eclectic display of recent work we have carried out with regards to website and graphic creations respectively.

Our Numbers

We are passionate about design & developments. We also understand the imperative of a website. It is not the frills of shiny vector graphics but the combination of a well throughout plan with and objective to accomplish

Our Services

No Of Clients

CUPS OF COFFEE

FINISHED PROJECTS

Lines Of Code

Subscribe to our Newsletter

Stay informed on our latest news!