Exploring Social Media's Impact if It Had Emerged in the 1920s
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In a world where social media had made its debut in the 1920s, how might our trajectory have changed? Would we have advanced further, or would we face a dystopian future?
There's much to critique regarding our political leaders and the effects of digital technology. While the rise of the Internet and digital platforms has introduced various challenges, my intent here isn't to argue if these advancements have improved or worsened our lives. Most would agree that a balance between constructive online discourse and empowerment is vital.
Instead, let’s engage in a thought experiment. I have always been intrigued by alternate histories, so let’s imagine a timeline where social media became prevalent much earlier than the early 2000s.
Picture this: what if computers and video technologies had been invented fifty years sooner? Even if conceived in the early 1900s, these innovations would have fostered some version of the Internet, subsequently enabling a form of social media.
How would this have unfolded? In what ways would national and global events have been influenced?
This exploration is purely hypothetical, so let’s consider that key historical figures would still pursue their ambitions as they did in our timeline.
How might our societal dynamics have changed due to these hypothetical scenarios? What significance could social media have held in such a reality?
An Alternate Universe
If television and cinema had been developed in the 1850s, along with early communication technologies like the telephone and radio during the American Revolution, the Civil War might have taken a drastically different course. Envision civilians watching on primitive televisions as family members fought against each other in Kentucky. Imagine Americans tuning in during the summer of 1873 to see Sojourner Truth interviewed on a news network.
By the 1910s, we could have seen the first home computers, leading to the emergence of the World Wide Web in the 1920s or 1930s, possibly flourishing in the 1940s.
While a digital divide would still exist among social classes, integrating this technology into schools could have transformed the latter half of the 20th century.
Let’s assume that before 1920, the political landscape remained relatively constant. If dissatisfaction with Woodrow Wilson’s presidency had sparked alternative candidates, could social media have amplified the innovative ideas of figures like Hiram Johnson or Frank Lowden? Might it have supported the heroic narratives of Leonard Wood or John Pershing?
And consider the 1918 Spanish Flu. Unlike the COVID-19 pandemic, Americans faced the 1918-1921 outbreak largely unprepared. How might the presence of the Internet have changed America’s response?
Conspiracy Theories
According to HealthLine’s Richard Gunderman, the term "Spanish Flu" emerged because Spain was more open about the outbreak than other nations. Some speculate the virus may have originated in rural Kansas, but the truth remains unclear.
In 1918, social media would have altered the narrative. Major cities faced quarantines, particularly impacting Indigenous populations, yet this was largely absent from national headlines.
Imagine platforms like Tumblr or Facebook during 1919 and 1920. Spaniards might have been unjustly blamed for the pandemic, with broader stigmas affecting Hispanic, Latino(a), Chicano(a), and Tribal communities.
Would we have seen figures like Gerald Winrod advocating for the exile of those connected to Spain or Latin America online? Would "Bombay Fever" have been wrongly associated with the Spanish Flu, inciting hostility toward South Asian communities in North America?
Irresponsible medical professionals could have spread misinformation about remedies like castor oil and bloodletting. Seventh-Day Adventists might have exploited the pandemic to criticize the consumption of poultry or pork, linking these animals to the flu’s transmission.
Compounding this was the absence of effective treatments for the Spanish Flu, despite historical advances in vaccination. As journalist Leoné Chao-Fung notes, young men suffered the highest mortality rates due to factors like crowded military conditions during World War I and the unique virulence of the virus, which struck down individuals aged 20 to 40 more than older or younger populations.
This phenomenon contributed to the term "Lost Generation," as those born between 1878 and 1902 faced significant risks compared to Civil War or future World War II veterans.
Great Leaps Toward Progress?
The Spanish Flu subsided in 1921 in our timeline. Would its impact have lingered longer if digital communication had been available during the Roaring Twenties?
Approximately eight years passed between the flu’s decline and the stock market crash of 1929. This period saw a convergence of poor policies that contributed to the Great Depression.
Business professor Barry M. Mitnick and economics professor Aleksandar Tomic identified seven key factors leading to this dark chapter in American history:
- Unregulated bank speculation
- Reckless investor behavior on "Black Tuesday"
- Poorly planned mass production of goods
- High personal debt levels leading to reduced consumer spending
- Andrew Mellon’s ineffective Treasury oversight
- Herbert Hoover’s weak leadership
- The passage of the Smoot-Hawley Bill
Had early computers and the Internet been accessible to individuals during this time, could many of these mistakes have been avoided?
I can envision scenarios where public health would have been prioritized in a post-WWI digital landscape, especially with different leadership.
For instance, widespread understanding of flu prevention might have encouraged greater caution among the public. Agronomists like David F. Houston could have utilized 1920s-style social media to alert Americans about Mellon’s poor decisions. Other Federal Reserve representatives might have felt empowered to advocate for caution to maintain public trust.
Imagine a Republican presidential ticket in 1920 led by Hiram Johnson, with Leonard Wood as his running mate. This duo could have charted a more successful national course than Harding, Coolidge, and Hoover did. Although Johnson was an isolationist, he eventually supported FDR's "New Deal." Wood’s diplomatic experience could have provided a counterbalance to Johnson’s stance on U.S. involvement with the League of Nations.
In our reality, FDR led the nation out of the Great Depression, introducing valuable social programs through his New Deal. In a parallel timeline dominated by Johnson and Wood, FDR might never have risen to prominence, but lessons from the Spanish Flu would have influenced the U.S. response to new economic and foreign challenges.
Future Forks-in-the-Road
Digital technology would have transcended U.S. borders, creating countless possibilities that could reshape our historical path.
Spain, by responsibly managing the pandemic, might have been unfairly blamed. Conversely, King Alfonso XIII could have utilized the media to share insights about the influenza's effects.
Even if he rallied other world leaders to promote transparency, their adversaries might have resented such openness. Over the next eighty years, it’s likely that authoritarian figures would have heavily censored the Internet in their countries.
If such restrictions had become common, how would U.S. foreign policy and global relations have evolved differently?
These scenarios branch out into a myriad of possibilities, each shaped by the influence of digital media.