Social Media Distancing: An Opportunity to Debug our Relationship with our Algorithms

Digital communication became the saving backbone of human connection during social distancing lockdowns of COVID-19. At the same time, the intensification of human dependency on its digital tools also revealed many aspects of the downsides of algorithmically-mediated communication. Just as the lack of an easy exit strategy for the pandemic has called for the combination of solutions, a more sustainable relationship with our algorithms will require complementary measures. Top-down and bottom-up. It will require changes in the industry and thoughtful regulation. It will require technological innovation and personal responsibility in a collective action of ‘social media distancing.’ It does not mean to stop algorithmic interactions, but to sanitize them. As with a necessary trip to the grocery store during lockdowns, it becomes important to increase awareness that everyone is a potential victim and vector of diffusion for digital harms. In this seven-chapter article, we ask how to seize the current situation to develop a more healthy relationship with our digital algorithms?