Mayor trying to unite while facing division

SUMMERLAND — Social media is creating a division in communities, says Mayor Peter Waterman.

“Social media is sometimes used to bias and inflame discussion in communities like Summerland. False information and exaggerations create unnecessary divisions, and costs the community emotionally and financially,” Waterman told council Monday.

His comments stemmed from a discussion on the rural-urban divide at the recent B.C. Mayors’ Caucus held in Squamish.

There is a shift taking place from a materialistic approach in more rural settings to a post-materialist approach in larger urban areas, Waterman explained.

The materialistic approach focuses on basic requirements, such as economic growth and infrastructure management, while the post-materialist approach is more concerned with lifestyle.

The clash of these approaches too often leads to division rather than unity.

Waterman reported Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson saying that social media is not helping to unify people, but rather is creating a division through misinformation.

Waterman spoke of Andrew Coyne’s recent column in the National Post in which he said that the pessimists might be right that social media may have plunged us into a new dark age.

“Many commentators have concluded that social media platforms are more a force for harm than good. There is a coarsening of debate with the spread of false information, and conspiracy theories,” Waterman said.

The Cambridge Analytical scandal involving 50 million Facebook accounts has contributed to a rising sense of alarm over the effects of social media on human behaviour and civil discourse.

Finding a balance in recognizing and respecting each other’s needs and opinions, and conducting civil discourse is essential for the betterment of our communities, according to Waterman.