Social media: When a lie becomes a fact

It feels like no one can escape the grip of the big tech companies. The smartphone and its various social media apps provide a gateway to the world, supposedly opening up new horizons for us. But addicted to clickbait, are we the fish being trawled by billionaires?

For Generation Alpha (born after 2010), it is hard to imagine how people used to communicate with each other without computers. How did the technology even develop? Vietnamese cartoonist LAP offers an absurdist take on the history of sending emails in ancient times.

Older people may sometimes be challenged by modern technology, but they are not lacking in creativity. Who says that a smartphone is only good for making phone calls, messaging or browsing the internet? Dutch illustrator Gregg uses it as an ice scraper in winter.

In the past, delinquents were tied to the pillory and put on public display. People would then throw rotten fruit at the unfortunate ones, or spit on them. Social media users have easier ways to bully their victims, as Jan Rieckhoff from Germany aptly points out in this cartoon. Cyberbullying has become a major problem in today's society.

Who hasn't experienced this: You return to work after your vacation and your email inbox is overflowing with messages — with too many of them seemingly insignificant. Turkish artist Menekse Cam portrays someone dealing with a deluge of such messages.

These days, no activity is complete without selfies. People smile happily into the camera in every situation, preferably against a spectacular background — whether it's the Grand Canyon, an arctic glacier or the Eiffel Tower in Paris. Australian cartoonist Mark Lynch pushes the black humor in this extreme selfie situation.

Smartphones are omnipresent in everyday life. Through constant surfing, we are bombarded with new information, much of which is harmful or simply not true. Filipino cartoonist ZACH compares the internet to a shark tank in which one can easily drown.

Cuban illustrator Miguel Morales also comments on how the internet feels like a dark sea where reliable information is difficult to find. You need to be equipped with patience when trying to recognize facts lost in deep waters.

No matter how bizarre or absurd a claim may seem, you only have to say something often enough and doubts will creep in: There might be something to it after all? And at some point, a lie becomes a supposedly irrefutable fact. The method is common practice on social media, and populists also like to use to their own ends.

Privacy on the net? Forget about it! Most people aren't even aware of how their visits to Google, Facebook and the like are analyzed and then used. The main goal of these large corporations is to maximize profit. Just like innocent Little Red Riding Hood, we keep falling into the trap of the evil wolf, as Brazilian Carlos Amorim depicts it.

Becoming an influencer is a dream job for many young people these days. Although it may be harmless when it comes to fashion or beauty, it raises questions about how easily our opinions can be manipulated online. It's been proven that Russia, for example, uses trolls to spread misinformation and influence elections. Dutch cartoonist Tjeerd Royaards alludes to this in his artwork.

We are already living in uncertain times, and the widespread presence of artificial intelligence hasn't helped anyone feel more confident about what's real and what's not. As AI technology rapidly advances, it can easily create a reality that doesn't even exist. Our confusion is inevitable, much like this (analog) game from back in the day, says Arcadio Esquivel from Costa Rica.

As useful as the internet can be, it also harbors many dangers: fake news, manipulation, malice and dependence on an illusory world. People should be aware of how social media has us in its grip. Around the globe, the trap is threatening to snap shut for good, warns Argentinian cartoonist Horacio Petre.