Epistemic Responsibility: The Impact of Social Media on Knowledge & Belief

Embark on a journey of intellectual exploration with Curious Soul, a community inspired by the art of critical thinking, as we launch our inaugural meetup! This gathering promises an engaging opportunity to connect with fellow inquisitive minds, fostering a sense of camaraderie while delving into a thought-provoking discussion on the profound influence of social media on our perceptions of knowledge and belief systems.

While social media has undeniably bestowed upon our society invaluable gifts such as global connectivity, community building, education, professional networking, and seamless event promotion—similar to the remarkable feat achieved by meetup.com for this very event—it has simultaneously sparked a range of compelling questions about knowledge, information, and belief formation in this digital age. It is these types of questions that we will be exploring as a group at this meetup.

Uncover the intricacies of social media's impact with thought-provoking questions such as:

1. Does social media have a strong impact on the formation of our personal and political beliefs today? Why or why not?
2. Does the vast diversity of information on social media challenge traditional notions of objective truth? Why or why not?
3. Are social media algorithms a challenge to our pursuit of diverse and well-rounded knowledge? Why or why not?
4. Is there a greater responsibility on the social media influencer or the individual to ensure the accuracy of the information being shared/consumed? Why?
5. Should parents have more control over their child’s access to social media? Why or why not?
6. Please let me know if there are any other relevant questions that folks would like to include, redact or edit for this discussion topic!

Join us for an evening of stimulating conversation, intellectual camaraderie, and the shared pursuit of knowledge. Let's collectively unravel the mysteries that lie at the intersection of critical thinking and the digital realm!

Agenda:

1. 6:30pm - 7:00pm: Meet, greet and eat. Take time to settle in and grab some delicious food and/or a beverage of your choice. Both meat and veggie options are available at this venue.
2. 7:00pm - 7:15pm: Brief overview of Curious Soul and today’s topic.
3. 7:15pm - 8:30/9pm: Open discussion forum. This is where we will be addressing the questions mentioned above as a group. The fun part :)

Resources:

I would strongly encourage you to read through the resources I have provided prior to attending the event and even do some digging of your own. This will lead to more well-informed and fun discussions.

What is epistemology: https://iep.utm.edu/epistemo/
What is objective truth: https://viable-reach.medium.com/objective-truth-defined-unveiling-the-pillars-of-reality-a16fd40e004a
Understanding social media algorithms: https://www.socialpilot.co/blog/social-media-algorithm
Algorithms, filter bubbles and confirmation bias: https://libguides.reynolds.edu/fakenews/bias
What is digital literacy: https://potomac.edu/what-is-digital-literacy/
Can social media change our opinions: https://education.tamu.edu/can-social-media-change-our-opinions/
Pros and Cons of monitoring kids on social media: https://www.creativetech24.com/post/pros-and-cons-of-monitoring-kids-social-media

These are mere starting places for folks to get acclimated with the discussion topics for today’s meetup and the list of resources is far from exhaustive. As such please feel free to ping me if you would like to include some additional resources or point out any bias in my resource selection.

Cheers :)