More and more tech experts are misusing social media - questioning their own creations

Swedes use social media a lot - and so far it is still more and more every year. Of all Swedish Internet users, 83 percent have at least one social media account. But in the Internet Foundation's annual report The Swedes and the Internet, in 2018, some trends have been seen. For example, our Facebook activity - writing posts, attending groups or events, posting photos - is decreasing.

Even the use of Twitter is pointing down slightly.

- I think most people know someone who has quit, or talked about quitting on social media, says Christian Landgren, CEO of IT consulting firm Iteam.

Colorful office landscapes with no dress code, ping pong tables and exuberant creativity have been associated with major tech companies such as Google, Facebook and Apple. But as former character contractors have gone out and criticized things they themselves have created and created, another image has emerged.

Two well-known names are Sean Parker, former CEO of Facebook, and Tristan Harris, former developer at Google. They have both expressed that they regret how they have helped to develop platforms that allow users to stay as long as possible and to share personal information and behavioral patterns.

- It's time to realize that some of the decisions that have been taken have had unintended consequences, says Caterina Fake, character entrepreneur and co-founder of the social network Flickr to SVT Edit.

Caterina Fake believes that we are at a breaking point when it comes to the development of social media. From having been involved in the development of new technical solutions, she now questions different kinds of inventions in the podcast Should this exist ?.

- We have always asked ourselves "can this exist?", Instead we should start asking ourselves if it should, "she says.

Christian Landgren also belonged to the purely cartoon enthusiasts a few years ago. Today, he actively participates in the debate about how social media gathers information about us and creates tailor-made information flows for each user - so-called filter bubbles.

- It is easy to believe that more communication is only positive. But in recent years, it has also become apparent that there are strong forces using technology to affect people in a simple and inexpensive way.

He believes that we have reached a point where we have become more aware of how social media works and that we have begun to reflect on what they do to us.

- The picture of these companies has changed dramatically. Especially after the Cambridge Analytica scandal when you see the consequences it has.

Another tech veteran and loud critic of social media is Jaron Lanier, one of the developers of virtual reality technology. Last year, his book Ten Reasons to Instantly Delete Your Social Media came out in Swedish.

- We see an awareness and organization of tech engineers in Silicon valley. It is imperative to bring in the tech savvy in this, otherwise we cannot change the current situation, he says.

Despite all the criticism of social media's impact on us, both in terms of the security of our integrity and how it affects us mentally, Christian Landgren does not necessarily believe that erasing his social media is the definitive answer.

- These companies have succeeded in creating something that we want. I think it's just as naïve to just jump off and stop participating in the discussion as it is to see social media as something positive only, he says.

See Edit's refuse social media program on SVT Play.