Philosopher Zygmunt Bauman: "Mark Zuckerberg took advantage of humankind's greatest insecurity to become a millionaire."

There's no doubt that there's been a before and after in how we interact with others since the emergence of social media in our lives. Nowadays, it seems like you're nothing if you don't have a presence on these platforms, at least among younger generations. The fact is that apps have absorbed us, and very few manage to leave them.

Often called the drug of the 21st century , social media is no longer just the most widely used entertainment medium in the world, but has become the life of millions of users who spend their days browsing it non-stop, and even when they are doing other things, they have Instagram or TikTok open.

We've reached the point where social media is just another addiction we have, and according to philosopher Zygmunt Bauman, author of the famous concept of liquid modernity, it's because its creators have discovered and exploited one of our greatest fears.

It was in an interview for Jordi Évole's La Sexta television program, Salvados, in which the Polish-British philosopher reflected on how Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Facebook and now owner of the conglomerate that makes up Meta (Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp), has become a billionaire by taking advantage of society's insecurities.

"People have nightmares about being alone, about being expelled, about losing touch with the life around them, " Bauman explained, and through these platforms, by uploading photos, videos, or comments, we feel connected to the world, even if we're alone in our own room.

The philosopher points out that it's something engaging and comforting , since receiving a "like" makes us feel like someone has connected with us. That's their true appeal, and as we said, not being on social media is almost like not existing in the world.

From this feeling, Zuckerberg has become a billionaire , "thanks to that, he's earned more than $50 billion," he noted. But the worst part of all, the real appeal of these platforms is that they make us feel connected to others, when the reality is that the vast majority of the content we see is fake, because as a rule, people only upload their happy moments, and almost no one talks about the ups and downs.

In a society where we now meet people through screens, we're seeing rising levels of anxiety, loneliness, and even depression . Social media is a band-aid for a basic emotional need like the fear of being alone, but it's not the solution , and as a society, we must do something to combat this trend.