Gordon Campbell: Has Social Media Handed Hate a Megaphone?

Gordon Campbell on the policing of social media content

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At the height of the Arab Spring less than a decade ago, social media platforms were hailed as bright new tools of liberation in the hands of the oppressed. In the wake of the Christchurch mosque attacks though, the pendulum has swung in the opposite direction. Social media outlets are being examined for their role in (a) radicalising the shooter, (b) confirming him in his beliefs by linking him to an online community of like-minded racists and (c) enabling his horrifying actions to be livestreamed and (ultimately) shared with a large global audience. Has social media handed hate a megaphone? 

For better and for worse, the era of Google, Facebook, etc., being trusted to self regulate their content seems to be over. All the talk is now is about government regulation.     Read more