This ground-zero problem-solving strategy focuses on using social media to balance both subjective and objective human experience, tackling the root causes of these pervasive issues by fostering empathy, accountability, and fairness.

1. Define the Problem: Understanding the Role of Social Media in Injustice

Social media is a double-edged sword. While it amplifies voices and can be a tool for social justice, it also provides a platform for gaslighting, trolling, and epistemic injustice—where marginalized groups are silenced or dismissed. Additionally, algorithm-driven content feeds often lead to confirmation bias, isolating users in echo chambers and reinforcing biased narratives. To address these issues, we need to:

• Understand how online discourse impacts both subjective (emotional, personal) and objective (factual, rational) experiences.

• Identify how unequal representation and harmful behaviors flourish in online spaces, creating and perpetuating systemic inequality and psychological harm.

This groundwork will help define the root causes that need to be managed.

2. The Balance of Subjectivity and Objectivity

Subjectivity refers to the personal, emotional, and individual experiences we all have. Objectivity, on the other hand, is about making decisions based on facts, fairness, and without emotional bias. Both are essential to problem-solving in the context of social media because:

• Subjectivity (Persona and Shadow Self): Social media gives us a platform to present our persona—the image we curate for others. But the shadow self, the hidden or repressed aspects of our personality, can also emerge in the form of negative behavior like trolling or gaslighting. Acknowledging and integrating both aspects leads to greater self-awareness and empathy in digital interactions.

• Objectivity: Social media often distorts reality with emotionally charged, biased content. To counteract this, we must cultivate emotional intelligence and unbiased thinking, promoting fair and fact-based discourse that challenges systemic epistemic injustice and unequal justice.

The goal of this strategy is to ensure that subjectivity and objectivity work together to foster healthier, more constructive online environments.

3. Leverage Social Media as a Tool for Self-Awareness and Empathy

To improve both subjectivity (self-awareness and emotional growth) and objectivity (fair, unbiased choices), we need to use social media platforms strategically:

a. Promote Digital Self-Reflection:

Encourage individuals to use social media for self-reflection by recognizing both their persona and shadow self in their online behavior. This could be done through:

• Reflective Content: Content that encourages users to think about their online actions, like how they present themselves and interact with others. Prompts that ask users to question whether they’ve ever engaged in trolling or minimized someone’s experience can foster introspection.

• Empathy Challenges: Social media campaigns or movements that ask users to share stories from marginalized perspectives, helping people confront the epistemic injustice that exists online. By stepping into others’ shoes, users become more aware of their own biases and actions.

b. Algorithms for Empathy:

Platforms can be designed to promote empathy rather than conflict by curating content that encourages emotional intelligence and constructive dialogue. Instead of promoting divisive or extreme content for engagement, algorithms can prioritize:

• Emotionally intelligent conversations: Content that encourages debate and dialogue rather than trolling or gaslighting.

• Balanced representations: Ensuring marginalized voices are amplified, and epistemic injustice is addressed by elevating diverse perspectives.

4. Foster Emotional Intelligence to Manage Online Conflict

Emotional intelligence (EI) is crucial for navigating the emotionally charged environments of social media. Training users to manage emotions, understand others’ feelings, and respond constructively is key to tackling gaslighting, trolling, and unequal justice. Here’s how to integrate EI into social media:

a. Emotional Literacy Campaigns:

Public awareness campaigns on social media can educate users on emotional intelligence, emphasizing:

• Recognizing triggers: Helping individuals identify when they’re being baited into unproductive or aggressive behaviors (common in trolling).

• Responding constructively: Providing tools and guidelines on how to engage in productive online debates without falling into emotional manipulation, gaslighting, or trolling.

b. Create Positive Feedback Loops:

Platforms can reward emotionally intelligent behavior. For instance, verified empathy badges or recognition for positive engagement can promote healthier discourse. By publicly recognizing constructive contributions, social media can shift the culture from conflict-driven interaction to collaborative problem-solving.

5. Capture Feedback and Amplify Marginalized Voices

To tackle epistemic injustice, it’s essential to create mechanisms that ensure all voices, especially marginalized ones, are heard. Social media’s interactive nature makes it an ideal tool for capturing diverse perspectives and feedback. Here’s how:

a. Active Listening Platforms:

Create or promote platforms where marginalized voices are actively solicited and amplified. This could take the form of:

• Interactive polls or forums where users can discuss experiences of injustice and gaslighting.

• Story-sharing platforms where individuals can share firsthand accounts of being silenced or marginalized online. These stories can help drive awareness of epistemic injustice and contribute to more inclusive discourse.

b. Crowdsourced Solutions:

Use social media to crowdsource solutions to unequal justice. For example, online communities can participate in identifying gaps in fairness and contribute to real-time reporting of incidents of injustice or policy suggestions for legal reforms. Crowdsourced feedback from diverse voices can help shape more equitable frameworks for justice.

6. Implement Safeguards Against Gaslighting, Trolling, and Epistemic Injustice

Social media platforms can do more to manage the root causes of gaslighting, trolling, and epistemic injustice through strategic safeguards:

a. Accountability Mechanisms:

Platforms must implement clear policies for addressing harmful behavior:

• Flagging and Reporting Systems: Allow users to flag instances of gaslighting or trolling. However, these systems need to be transparent and accountable, ensuring that the concerns of marginalized users are taken seriously and addressed promptly.

• Penalties for Trolling and Gaslighting: Introduce clear consequences for users who engage in toxic behavior. Banning or shadowbanning individuals who repeatedly engage in trolling or gaslighting can create a safer environment for constructive discussions.

b. Decentralized Moderation:

Rather than relying solely on corporate or automated moderation systems, social media can adopt community-based moderation. Empowering communities to moderate their own spaces fosters peer accountability, reducing toxic behavior and epistemic injustice.

7. Educating the Public on Cognitive Bias and Echo Chambers

To counter confirmation bias and the echo chambers that contribute to unequal justice and epistemic injustice, we must:

a. Educate Users on Bias:

Public education campaigns on social media should focus on cognitive bias—explaining how algorithms and personal biases can distort perceptions of truth and fairness. Users can be taught to:

• Question their newsfeeds: Encouraging users to seek out diverse perspectives and avoid echo chambers by following people with different opinions or backgrounds.

• Engage critically with content: Teaching users to fact-check and evaluate information objectively before sharing or reacting emotionally.

b. Tools to Break Echo Chambers:

Platforms can offer tools that intentionally break echo chambers, such as suggestions to follow diverse accounts or features that expose users to opposing viewpoints. This helps create objective, balanced perspectives rather than reinforcing existing biases.

Conclusion: A Ground Zero Approach for Holistic Problem Solving

By leveraging the social media revolution, we can improve both subjectivity and objectivity in addressing epistemic injustice, gaslighting, trolling, and unequal justice. The key is to focus on self-awareness, empathy, and emotional intelligence while ensuring all voices are heard and valued. Social media has the potential to be a force for positive change, but only if we use it intentionally to create inclusive, emotionally intelligent, and objective spaces.

This back-to-basics strategy puts the individual at the center—encouraging personal growth while promoting collective action to foster a more just, fair, and empathetic society. By balancing the persona and shadow self with objective, fair choices, we can create a digital culture that combats injustice and nurtures understanding.