# Social Media Diminished Social Capital ![[Social Capital#^s3kwm3]] Initially, social media platforms seemed to enhance social capital by bridging cultural divides, because only by interacting with members of different cultures can we 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]]