Answer to Question #308186 in Political Science for Shnaw

Question

What are three arguments presented in the article supporting the regulation of social media? Be specific and thorough. What would be a strong argument against one of those arguments (you pick which one)? https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/30/technology/mark-zuckerberg-facebook-regulation-explained.html

Answer 1

Social media companies are key institutions in the 21st century digital public sphere. A public sphere doesn’t work properly without trusted and trustworthy institutions guided by professional and public-regarding norms. The goal of regulating social media is to create incentives for social media companies to be responsible and trustworthy institutions that will help foster a healthy and vibrant digital public sphere.

The three arguments in support of the regulation of social media;

1) social media facilitate public participation in art, politics, and culture, and its conduct influences society norms.

2) Social media organize public conversation so people can easily find and communicate with each other and people need to have ethical conversations.

3) Social media curate public opinion, not only through individualized results and feeds but also through enforcing community standards and terms of service.

The strong argument against the above arguments is; there is freedom of speech and communication.