The Murky Cash-Filled Waters of Social Platforms and The Big Green Monster That Lives There
This is my data-backed opinion on why companies like Facebook, Twitter, and Spotify need to take responsibility.
As a child of the 1990's, when I think of the word evil, it all seems so black and white, like fictional Disney villains. When I now ask my younger sister, who is aged 12, the same question about evil, the answer is not as clear. Today at 23 years old, I begin to realize how grey so many areas have become. But one thing is clear, and that is someone or something needs to take responsibility for the content being posted and shared online.
Facebook, Instagram, Spotify, and Twitter have been key news topics for several years now, due to how they share and spread information. These companies are shown to prioritize profit over truth. For example “Spotify directly paid a reported $100 million for the exclusive rights to Mr. Rogan’s podcast, and the company has noted that his show has increased its ad revenue.” Joe Rogan’s Podcast is only the latest issue from these platforms that are not taking responsibility, due to an act that was passed over 20 years ago. The question has to be asked at what point does money become more important than your fellow humans’ safety and health?
This question can be asked of Facebook and Mark Zuckerberg regarding multiple instances. CBS News interviewed Frances Haugen, aka “The Facebook whistleblower,” and one thing she said stood out to me. “But its own research is showing that content that is hateful, that is divisive, that is polarizing, it’s easier to inspire people to anger than it is to other emotions.” The emotion of hate has played into many recent events such as Covid-19 vaccines, the Capital Riot, etc. It starts to paint a clearer picture of where all these negative issues start to fester.
This issue has many shapes and sizes; one of the most upsetting is its effect on young girls. As statistics states “more than 13% of teenage girls said that Instagram made their thoughts of suicide worse and 17% of teen girls said Instagram makes eating disorders worse”. There is no arguing that this issue is coming from anywhere else. What makes this issue even more horrifying is that Facebook had this information plain and clear, but made the unethical choice to ignore it.
This inherent neglect of social platforms taking responsibility shows the cracks in Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act and how it just doesn’t work anymore. It has been argued that it is unlawful to take away users’ constitutional rights to free speech on social platforms, but this just isn’t true. As Nadine Strossen says “social media platforms are not the government. They are private sector entities, and therefore, they have no First Amendment obligation to protect your freedom of speech.” This further proves how it is the social platforms’ responsibility — and not the government — to take action and destroy the massive greedy monster they have created.
From all this research, I have found that the face of evil for young kids now is a big green and greedy monster that is only a click away. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Spotify could be their own superhero if they just decided to change their priorities and put truth and health over money.
