Central America Negatively Impacted by Social Media and Fake News, says Guatemalan Philanthropist Dionisio Gutiérrez

In the latest column for Estrategias y Negocios, Dionisio Gutiérrez Mayorga likened the effects of social media to throwing gasoline on a fire that is already out of control. Society is inundated with “bubbles” of deception, distorted reality, and “fake news,” resulting in conflict and polarization.

While admitting that social media can be a “powerful tool” if used appropriately by citizens governed by “corrupt” and “cynical” leaders, Gutiérrez critiqued the use and effects of social media as it is often used to manipulate internet users, sometimes anonymously, and to the benefit of those whose interest is to “divide and conquer.”

Gutiérrez says many people rely on social media to stay informed of current events and do not bother to verify if the information is even based in fact or research, which is detrimental to society. The existence of “NetCenters,” he claims, have the purpose of spreading defamatory statements and taking advantage of the misinformed. He suggests that people always question the content they encounter, its origin, and recommends social media be used “responsibly.”

Gutiérrez Mayorga is a Guatemalan philanthropist and holds a Doctorate degree in Sociology and Political Science from the Pontifical University of Salamanca.

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