# Social Media Diminished [[Social Capital]] ![[Social Capital#^s3kwm3]] Initially, social media platforms seemed to have a positive effect on social capital by bridging cultural divides, as interacting with members of different cultures helps build trust. Unfortunately, this positive impact faded as soon as social media platforms evolved from being about connection, to being about performance, and their algorithms changed to [[Social Media Algorithms Are Designed to Maximize Engagement|maximize engagement]]. ![[Why the Past 10 Years of American Life Have Been Uniquely Stupid#^czgwn6]] ![[Why the Past 10 Years of American Life Have Been Uniquely Stupid#^pznkzr]] This shift to performance started rewarding divisiveness, outrage, and shaming. People stopped showing their true selves and instead started performing for likes and shares, ultimately leading to a decrease of trust. In addition, [[Social Media Caused Extreme Polarization in Society and Cancel Culture]], which caused self-censorship out of fear of being publicly shamed or canceled. This further eroded trust because people started doubting they are getting the full picture of what others are thinking. ![[Yes, Social Media Really Is Undermining Democracy#^h5i3o1]] The negative effect on social capital is further compounded by [[Social Media Undermined Collective Identity|social media's impact on collective identity]], because people tend to be distrustful of those they perceive as different.