Social media companies are backing away from their role as watchdogs of online content on their platforms. This shift could have a decisive impact on the 2024 election.
After the 2016 elections, Big Tech companies ramped up their ability to police content on their social media platforms. They had been criticized for allowing Russia to manipulate 2016 election results, so by 2020, they were prepared and no substantial interference was reported. However, in the years that followed, profits shrank. Mass layoffs by Meta and other tech giants meant the people in the watchdog roles were let go. In addition, Elon Musk initiated a sea change in the industry when he announced that Twitter (which he renamed X) would no longer police content. Further complicating matters, a US district judge from Louisianna restricted the federal government from communicating with Big Tech firms and universities about misinformation. The ruling responded to a 2022 lawsuit by the attorneys general from Louisianna and Missouri that said the federal government overreached in its efforts to reign in misinformation about the COVID-19 vaccine. The following day, the State Department cancelled a meeting with Facebook and universities announced the ruling will have a chilling effect on their research. The next week, however, a federal appeals court paused the lower court’s ruling, citing it as overly broad and vague.
Learning how to manage communication over social media is something societies still grapple with and will do for decades. At heart is the issue of how much of a role a company should play in policing content on its platform. The European Union has taken a strong stance for enforcement, while the US has allowed the marketplace to sort things out.
It is not clear how the shift away from policing might influence the 2024 presidential election. One thing is clear however: things have changed since Mark Zuckerberg pledged in front of a 2018 Senate subcommittee that his highest priority was “making sure no one interferes with the various elections around the world.” Once profits were at stake, his position moderated.
Source:
Cat Zakrzewski, Naomi Nix, Joseph Menn, “Ban Erodes Initiatives to Protect Election,” Washington Post, 9 July 2023, A1.
Naomi Nix, Sarah Ellison, “Following Elon Musk’s Lead, Big Tech is Surrending to Disinformation,” Washington Post, 3 September 2023, G1.
Jim Salter, “Judge Limits Biden Administration in Working with Social Media Companies,” Associated Press, 4 July 2023; accessed https://apnews.com/article/social-media-protected-speech-lawsuit-injunction
“Court Pauses Order Limiting Biden Administration Contact with Social Media Companies,” Associated Press, 15 July 2023; accessed https://apnews.com/article/social-media-biden-administration-lawsuit-injunction
Photo: Lydia Wheeler/Bloomberg Law
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