Crosseyed and Painless

Before I answer this week's questions, I invite you to listen to my favorite Talking Heads song. It's from the perspective of a paranoid man afraid of his urban environment. (Gittins 2004) 

In particular, the lyrics "Facts all come with points of view. Facts don't do what I want them to. Facts just twist the truth around. Facts are living turned inside out." reflect the worldview of a person who is not happy when presented with facts that disagree with what he wants and/or believes to be the "truth."

 


When Crosseyed and Painless was released in 1980, there were only three television networks that aired national news, and most major geographical areas had an independently owned and operated newspaper. 

People had no choice but to be exposed to facts, as curated by journalists and experts. 

Social media now drives the way many of us engage with real life. And what we see on social media is dictated by algorithms that are designed to keep us on that platform for as long as possible. The fundamental problem with the fact that the content we consume is now curated by these algorithms is that it allows people like the man in the song to reject reality and live in a world where he never has to be exposed to "facts" that disagree with his opinions.  

And honestly, it allows me to do the same if I want to ... which, admittedly, I sometimes do. 

I just realized I haven't answered any of the questions yet. I can take these two together.

What are the potential implications for society, democracy, and interpersonal relationships? 

How has the online landscape transformed the dynamics of public opinion formation and communication strategies?   


Yeah, not great. 

Regarding society, social media is specifically designed to be addictive, in order to show you as many ads as possible (so the social media company makes money) and sell you as many products as possible (so the advertisers make money) and as a result, we now carry billboards around in our pockets. We're constantly being told what we're missing, what we lack, and what we need to do to look and feel better - and because the people in our social networks (usually) choose to put forward the best versions of their own lives, there are always opportunities to compare ourselves to others - even people we know. This is not a healthy way to maintain interpersonal relationships. 

What this means for democracy is that living in an echo chamber and having our opinions constantly validated is a lot more comfortable than engaging with opposing viewpoints, or facts that do not support our worldview. And it turns out a lot of people no longer care about facts anyway. (Hill 2024) 

Based on the results of six surveys of U.S. voters during and after President Donald Trump’s administration, researchers found a disconnect between what people believe to be “factual” and what they believe to be “true.” 

So what we end up with is a set of politicians who know that people don't care about facts, and a set of voters who never have to engage with them. Meaning our democracy is now a battle of strong emotions that are no longer grounded in reality. Modern communications strategies - both corporate and political - understand this, and increasingly play to our feelings, rather than our rational selves. From Tufts professor Paul Argenti:

"Corporations could adapt (Trump's) playbook themselves by leaning into clear messaging, direct stakeholder engagement, consistent narrative framing, and emotional rather than purely rational appeals."  

Are there some positive social and political implications? Absolutely. Without social media, movements like #BlackLivesMatter and #MeToo would have never gotten off the ground (Albany Law School) because the lived experiences of women and people of color have been historically shut out of mainstream media. But those are byproducts of the algorithmic process, not the actual purpose of social media. 

Which, again, is to make money for social media companies.

--- 

Works Cited:

“Social Movements Supercharged by Social Media.” Albany Law School, https://www.albanylaw.edu/about/social-movements-supercharged-social-media.

Argenti, Paul. “How Trump’s Team Mastered Modern Communications.” LinkedIn, 9 Oct. 2025, https://www.linkedin.com/posts/paulargenti_trumps-team-has-mastered-modern-communications-activity-7368991454016196611-pMDf/.

Hill, Katy Marquardt. “Facts Ignored: The Truth Is Flexible When Falsehoods Support Political Beliefs.” CU Boulder Today, 4 Mar. 2024, https://www.colorado.edu/today/2024/03/04/facts-ignored-truth-flexible-when-falsehoods-support-political-beliefs. 

Gittins, Ian. Talking Heads: Once in a Lifetime: The Stories Behind Every Song. Hal Leonard, 2004 

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