What drives us apart

#324

Best foreign minister ever, says this tweet.

My Dear Friend of Democracy,

You may have heard that German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock wants to become President of the UN General Assembly after her term ends (in a few days). There is some discussion in my country of whether this is a good idea, especially since Germany had said last year that it would nominate the much-respected diplomat Helga Schmid for the post (you can read more about it here).

But this post is heading somewhere else.

I had tried to form my own opinion about whether Baerbock's ambitions were legitimate.

So, I scrolled through the web for balanced arguments. I looked for the pros and cons. Ultimately, a judgment. Should Barbook go for that job, or better not? I did what one should always do in a democracy: inform oneself and form an opinion.

But I did this by scrolling through social media.

It was a disaster.

On Social Media, Annalena Baerbock is either a cunning, unscrupulous, or ruthless politician, which, of course, it is said she has always been. Or the other extreme: Baerbock as a unique personality, practically the most incredible woman on earth. There is little in between. At least, nothing that I've seen.

My little Baerbock research has taught me (once again) that social media isn't social media. It doesn't bring people together; it divides them. It doesn't enlighten them; it polemicizes. It doesn't make us more understanding but more narrow-minded.

✊ We must find other ways to inform ourselves than social media. We have to find ways that make us smarter. We have to learn from people and institutions whose concern is to inform us, not to make us addicted. If we stick with social media, we will never again have two people with two opinions and still be able to understand each other.

See you in Democracy,

Johannes Eber