Social media is not about the exploitation of technology but

The brand strategist and author Simon Mainwaring spoke with clarity when he declared: “Social media is not about the exploitation of technology but service to community.” In these words lies a call to reorient our vision: that the true purpose of technology is not conquest, profit, or vanity, but the weaving together of human bonds. For what use is the most dazzling invention if it does not uplift the community and strengthen the ties of shared life?

To speak of the exploitation of technology is to name the danger of using tools merely for gain, manipulation, or self-promotion. In the age of social media, many seek only numbers, influence, or wealth. The result is division, isolation, and shallow noise. But Mainwaring points us back to the heart: technology becomes noble only when it serves as a bridge, a vessel of service, carrying care, knowledge, and unity from one soul to another.

History gives us a powerful mirror in the invention of the printing press. Gutenberg’s machine could have been used only for commercial gain, but its greatest legacy was in its service to community. It spread sacred texts, preserved knowledge, and gave voice to the many, not just the few. The tool itself was neutral; its greatness was born in the service it rendered to society. So too is social media today — its worth is not in its power, but in what it is used to cultivate among people.

Consider the Arab Spring of 2011. Social media became more than entertainment; it was the lifeline of revolution. Citizens, long silenced, found their voice. Communities oppressed and scattered came together in courage. The tool was not exploited merely as technology, but employed as a weapon of unity and justice. In that moment, Mainwaring’s words were fulfilled: it became a true service to community, a beacon of shared hope.

Yet we must also see the shadow. Where social media is twisted for exploitation — for spreading falsehood, division, or vanity — it corrodes trust and weakens the community it should serve. Here lies the danger of forgetting its higher calling. Just as fire can warm or destroy, so too can this tool heal or harm. The choice rests not in the technology itself, but in the hearts of those who wield it.

The lesson is clear: those who create, share, and influence must remember that their power is not for self alone. They must ask: Does this build community? Does this serve others? Does this uplift, heal, and unite? If the answer is no, then the tool is being exploited rather than honored. Service must be the guiding star, lest the gift become a curse.

Therefore, O children of wisdom, remember Simon Mainwaring’s teaching: “Social media is not about the exploitation of technology but service to community.” Let your words on these platforms be seeds of light, not sparks of division. Use the tools of this age not to exalt yourself but to strengthen the circle of humanity. For in the end, technology will pass, but community will endure. And he who serves the community serves not only his fellow man, but the eternal order of truth itself.