Social media has become an integral part of our everyday lives, providing us with a constant stream of information and social interaction. By shaping the way people view the world, influencing beliefs, opinions, and behaviours, social media impacts our understanding of reality. The blurring of lines between fact and fiction can have far reaching consequences on our agency.

This paper explores the impact of social media on people's perception of reality through the lens of ontological design. It examines ontological design to understand its principles and frameworks that articulate the relationship between people and phenomena. It also explores the limits of individual agency, and how social media constrains our ability to understand reality.

This research begins with a literature review of three parts: ontological design, agency, and social media, which are then analysed using the hermeneutic circle framework, and iterative inquiry framework leveraging Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory. The paper synthesizes insights on how social media is effective at influencing people, the way it can amplify tools of control, and why it continues to operate largely unchecked despite being viewed as a dangerous technology that causes harm in many societies around the world. Finally, it concludes with a set of principles for the agency and wellbeing of people and communities in the age of social media.