It's Time for a Social Media and Disinformation Reckoning

Can social media be saved? Will democracy survive?

The first question may seem less interesting than the second. But for some anxious observers, they are intimate.

Social networks - on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and other online networks - are the foundation of today's cultural evils in the eyes of some critics. However, a campaign to persuade users to withdraw it gained little traction.

There is no denying that social networks provide positive experiences that are difficult to deliver. They connect people instantly. They publish pictures of newborn babies, tasty dishes and spectacular standing brooms.

They know that when a celebrity or old acquaintance arrives, they help raise money for a good cause. They impart knowledge, they provide a deep and honest discussion forum. For some people, they are the antidote to loneliness.

It also sucks users' personal information and surprisingly shares it with marketers to support targeted advertising campaigns. They provide useful tools for bullies to harass their victims.

They provide abusive language and a platform for terrorist recruitment. They distort the truth. They spread and spread fake news and other lies. They sow distrust and enmity between family members and friends. They are the foundation of a long-standing institution. Some see it as a real danger.

As part of a broader virtual discussion on the state of technology in 2020, we have raised two central questions from the ECT industry panel in an effort to keep these entanglements aside. We asked them to identify the biggest problem of social media and offer possible solutions.

We also asked if they were concerned about their insights online, especially in elections, and how to fix the problem.

Our roundtable participants include Laura Didio, ITIC Principal Rob Enderel, Andrel Group Principal Analyst; Ed Moyle, Partner of the Security Curve; Denise Pombrient, Principal of Beagle Research Group; And Tech Journalist Jonathan Terrasi, focusing on computer security, encryption, open source, politics and current affairs.

In summary social media is sick

The problems with social media platforms are, as our panelists said, that they easily mistreat people. Also, people are very careless about their information. It is very easy for impulsive time to spread.

Many of these personal backups have no foresight in handling. Is a social network but destroys privacy

Social networks are addictive.

The platform is biased standards are not properly used.

This is a business that needs profits above all.

How to solve some problems? He has a license to destroy. Adopt an artificial intelligence monitor for control.

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Social drops

Users are both victims and villains on social media, suggesting Rob Anderley, who noted the tendency of people to post randomly.

Laura Dio said, "In general, many people think they can hide their keyboards behind anonymity and use social media to bully others."

"Many are also involved and are informative about themselves and their personal lives. This can have unintended and often tragic consequences," she said.

That social media business model "Expandable," noted Jonathan Tericity. “In the sense that consumers only give their consent, there is hardly any real agreement.

"Privacy is the biggest problem," Ed Moyle said.

A "disgusting factor" is that a user's social media accounts last longer, Didio said.

"I still remind myself of birthdays, anniversaries, etc. to friends and colleagues who have died," she said.

The challenge of editing social media may seem impossible. But there is no dearth of solutions ranging from constructive methods to personalize behavior to acknowledge the need for government intervention.

“The most obvious solution is to practice prudence. But I'm not sure how true this is for many people, "Dio said." I have noticed that some people say they are coming back from Facebook or Twitter or Instagram to post on Facebook and Twitter in the morning. . a few hours later! To paraphrase Karap Marx: Social media is a medium for people.

AI for rescue

Instead of persuading people to stop using social media platforms, why not provide them with tools that help them connect more intelligently.

Perhaps an artificial intelligence system is used in this regard, Endlear suggested.

Imagine you are angrily replying to the aggressive political behavior of your brother-in-law, and as you type, a little thought bubble pops up and asks you if you want to post that comment.