The case for optimism
Hello friends! You likely signed up for this after reading one of my essays on Medium or seeing something on Twitter. I send this thing every few months, mostly a wrap-up of stuff I'm working on, thinking about, and the best reading from around the web — all ending with a sweet flag. See past issues here. Now, to the newsletter:
Above: Last month I visited Dallas for the first time and became acquainted with Big Tex, a moving talking statue that once heroically recovered from a tragic fire.
Regular readers will know that I care deeply about our discourse and all of our roles in making it better. And, lately, I think we’ve turned a corner to something new and better. Seriously! A case for optimism!
To catch you up: I think the incentives of our news environment and distribution methods are contributing directly to the divisiveness in our country. And it seems that we’re beginning to reckon with that fact. It’s messy. It’s not anywhere close to be solved. But we’re talking honestly about it. And there's some actual movement and wide recognition of the problems. Which is the first step in solving them.
I know it’s hard to stay upbeat in the current media and political climate. So allow me to (hopefully) cheer you up!
Reason #1: We want to ban our president from Twitter
Platforms have gotten away with the “we’re neutral!” defense for too long when it comes to bullying, abuse, and misinformation. More people are realizing that no platform can afford to be neutral. That even the choice of "neutrality" has consequences. Platforms must have what Yonatan Zunger calls an “editorial voice.” They must make (or be forced to make) choices.
Example: As our president uses Twitter to saber-rattle, should Twitter ban him? Lots of people say "yes." I say "omg-no-do-you-realize-what-that-will-mean?" So I wrote an essay about it. Basically: I think these platforms are in a new regulatory category that we haven't defined yet. So let's not set bad precedent. I’d love your thoughts.
Reason #2: We’re holding platforms accountable
The horrific shooting Las Vegas is no cause for anything short of despair. But the reaction to it has gone beyond the all-too-typical choreography around mass shootings. More of our conversation is how our platforms seed misinformation for partisan ends. Mozilla even held a "MisinfoCon" (I GUESS MY INVITE GOT LOST IN THE MAIL, GUYS)
Google indexed 4chan as a leading news source when the suspect’s name was searched. YouTube was surfacing unspeakably abhorrent results. Facebook was highlighting an erroneous Gateway Pundit story on its crises response page.
That’s led to some condemnations from The Atlantic (and others): Google and Facebook Have Failed Us.
Reason #3: Facebook is realizing what it did
After thinking it was “pretty crazy” to think that Facebook swung the election, CEO Mark Zuckerberg is singing a difference tune, including hosting a Facebook Live where he addressed and acknowledges the concerns… and even asking for forgiveness on Yom Kipper.
Reason #4: There are serious calls for changes in regulation
Can we regulate our way out of this issue? Should we? We’re starting to grapple with this now. It's suspected that Facebook isn’t releasing any of the Russian propaganda ads it placed because of a 1986 law.
And now both left and right are circling ... there has even been a bi-partisan policy paper that names tech regulation as the #1 priority.
Reason #5: The Senate Intelligence Committee is getting involved. And they have subpoena power.
It’s become clear that Twitter is one of the main ways misinformation is spread. Along with Facebook and Google, Twitter representatives will be appearing in front of the SIC on Nov 1. It has already turned over suspected Russian-linked accounts.
Reason #6: The platforms are responding to pressure
After Rose McGowan was suspended from Twitter many users revolted, boycotting Twitter for a day using the #WomanBoycottTwitter hashtag. Normally, such hashtag activism would go nowhere. But Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey responded, acknowledging they must do better and claimed to be reviewing rules.
And just this week, after getting hammered for the opaqueness of its ads, Twitter rolled out new transparency efforts for its ads. HUGE win.
Reason #7: The thinkpieces cometh
More serious thinkers than ever are publicly grappling with the complexity and intractable nature of this issue. Some examples:
Above: Last month I visited Dallas for the first time and became acquainted with Big Tex, a moving talking statue that once heroically recovered from a tragic fire.Regular readers will know that I care deeply about our discourse and all of our roles in making it better. And, lately, I think we’ve turned a corner to something new and better. Seriously! A case for optimism!
To catch you up: I think the incentives of our news environment and distribution methods are contributing directly to the divisiveness in our country. And it seems that we’re beginning to reckon with that fact. It’s messy. It’s not anywhere close to be solved. But we’re talking honestly about it. And there's some actual movement and wide recognition of the problems. Which is the first step in solving them.
I know it’s hard to stay upbeat in the current media and political climate. So allow me to (hopefully) cheer you up!
Reason #1: We want to ban our president from Twitter
Platforms have gotten away with the “we’re neutral!” defense for too long when it comes to bullying, abuse, and misinformation. More people are realizing that no platform can afford to be neutral. That even the choice of "neutrality" has consequences. Platforms must have what Yonatan Zunger calls an “editorial voice.” They must make (or be forced to make) choices.
Example: As our president uses Twitter to saber-rattle, should Twitter ban him? Lots of people say "yes." I say "omg-no-do-you-realize-what-that-will-mean?" So I wrote an essay about it. Basically: I think these platforms are in a new regulatory category that we haven't defined yet. So let's not set bad precedent. I’d love your thoughts.
Reason #2: We’re holding platforms accountable
The horrific shooting Las Vegas is no cause for anything short of despair. But the reaction to it has gone beyond the all-too-typical choreography around mass shootings. More of our conversation is how our platforms seed misinformation for partisan ends. Mozilla even held a "MisinfoCon" (I GUESS MY INVITE GOT LOST IN THE MAIL, GUYS)
Google indexed 4chan as a leading news source when the suspect’s name was searched. YouTube was surfacing unspeakably abhorrent results. Facebook was highlighting an erroneous Gateway Pundit story on its crises response page.
That’s led to some condemnations from The Atlantic (and others): Google and Facebook Have Failed Us.
Reason #3: Facebook is realizing what it did
After thinking it was “pretty crazy” to think that Facebook swung the election, CEO Mark Zuckerberg is singing a difference tune, including hosting a Facebook Live where he addressed and acknowledges the concerns… and even asking for forgiveness on Yom Kipper.
Reason #4: There are serious calls for changes in regulation
Can we regulate our way out of this issue? Should we? We’re starting to grapple with this now. It's suspected that Facebook isn’t releasing any of the Russian propaganda ads it placed because of a 1986 law.
And now both left and right are circling ... there has even been a bi-partisan policy paper that names tech regulation as the #1 priority.
Reason #5: The Senate Intelligence Committee is getting involved. And they have subpoena power.
It’s become clear that Twitter is one of the main ways misinformation is spread. Along with Facebook and Google, Twitter representatives will be appearing in front of the SIC on Nov 1. It has already turned over suspected Russian-linked accounts.
Reason #6: The platforms are responding to pressure
After Rose McGowan was suspended from Twitter many users revolted, boycotting Twitter for a day using the #WomanBoycottTwitter hashtag. Normally, such hashtag activism would go nowhere. But Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey responded, acknowledging they must do better and claimed to be reviewing rules.
And just this week, after getting hammered for the opaqueness of its ads, Twitter rolled out new transparency efforts for its ads. HUGE win.
Reason #7: The thinkpieces cometh
More serious thinkers than ever are publicly grappling with the complexity and intractable nature of this issue. Some examples:
- Our Gutenberg moment: It’s time to grapple with the internet’s effect on democracy
- Tim O’Reilly is writing a book on the topic.
- In the Land of Internet Subcultures, Try Not to Look Like a Tourist
Personal news:
I’ll be in Dusseldorf, Germany on November 8th speaking at Trivago Academy about the future of careers and creativity. Tickets are free if you’re local!
Official newsletter flag (for now)
This is the flag of Kurdistan, which is an autonomous region in Iraq that recently voted overwhelmingly in favor if its independence. There are an estimated 30 million Kurds living in parts of Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey without a state to call their own (compare that to Australia's 24 million or Canada's 36 million) — though the future for an independent Kurdish state remain bleak, and it's unlikely we'll see the above flag join the ranks of the U.N. anytime soon. Call me a democracy absolutist, but I hope the Kurds (like their Catalonian counterparts) eventually achieve the independence they dream of.
Dear reader, may your dreams also come true. Thanks for making space in your crowded inbox.
- Sean
I’ll be in Dusseldorf, Germany on November 8th speaking at Trivago Academy about the future of careers and creativity. Tickets are free if you’re local!
Official newsletter flag (for now)
This is the flag of Kurdistan, which is an autonomous region in Iraq that recently voted overwhelmingly in favor if its independence. There are an estimated 30 million Kurds living in parts of Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey without a state to call their own (compare that to Australia's 24 million or Canada's 36 million) — though the future for an independent Kurdish state remain bleak, and it's unlikely we'll see the above flag join the ranks of the U.N. anytime soon. Call me a democracy absolutist, but I hope the Kurds (like their Catalonian counterparts) eventually achieve the independence they dream of. Dear reader, may your dreams also come true. Thanks for making space in your crowded inbox.
- Sean
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