I think the comment above yours was mostly joking, or at least deliberately simplifying things.
But since we’re here and I can’t resist, I agree with you that statements like “x is destroying democracy” are meaningless hyperbole. Social media has a role in influencing the outcome of the democratic process, sure, but to say it is ERASING DEMOCRACY is ridiculous. It doesn’t mean anything. We still vote, and those votes still matter.
My nostalgia for the internet of yore and the affects of social media on democracy are pretty much divorced ideas anyway, I really did just mean for my original comment to be a funnysad observation
We may still vote but we aren't the only democracy under strain and the pressures bring put on it are even more exaggerated in other places, like those where Facebook is the internet ala mid-90's AOL, accessed on phones for free or cheap, and separate from general data plans.
But since we’re here and I can’t resist, I agree with you that statements like “x is destroying democracy” are meaningless hyperbole. Social media has a role in influencing the outcome of the democratic process, sure, but to say it is ERASING DEMOCRACY is ridiculous. It doesn’t mean anything. We still vote, and those votes still matter.
My nostalgia for the internet of yore and the affects of social media on democracy are pretty much divorced ideas anyway, I really did just mean for my original comment to be a funnysad observation