Today's Wild West is the Internet
Arguably the most revolutionary invention of human history is the internet. Since its dawn in the early 90s to the present, the internet has connected the world in ways we could have only imagined a hundred years ago. Every single continent has some sort of access to the internet, and in turn the world. Unlike news broadcasters, weathermen or talk show hosts, the internet never sleeps. Unfortunately, the protections or lack thereof on the internet were doomed from the start. In 1996, the Communications Decency Act, particularly section 230, protects platforms on the internet and their free speech and removes nearly all responsibility for potential users' illegal activities. Effectively, almost anything goes on these platforms if they can maneuver the legal limits of the system. This is one of the many reasons we see extremists' positions and groups forming in online spaces. Groups of people in echo chambers reacting to negative news to bolster their own prejudices twenty-four seven. There is no real answer to stop this issue from occurring and no solution in sight.
Fake news, social media, and "The Death of Truth" - CBS News
Section 230: An Overview | Congress.gov | Library of Congress
This might be showing my age, but I remember what life was like before the internet. I remember when my family got our first computer. We never could have imagined anything like the Internet we know of today.
ReplyDeleteThe only way to know what was going on in the world was to watch the news. They had multiple broadcasts a day and if you missed it, you had either had to find a newspaper or find out from someone else.
But to think of what the internet has become is quite frightening. As you mentioned, there are legal limits that exist. However, they are fairly easy to work around. The amount of so called free speech is readily available for anyone to read and be influenced. The though of no possible solution is disheartening. Hopefully this will change sooner rather than later.
You're correct, the internet has expanded in many ways and is now easily accessible to most people. With social media growing as a primary source of information, there has been an increase in false propaganda and polarized opinions being disseminated before concrete facts. The best way to alleviate this issue is to hold the CEO's of these outlets accountable and add more limitations and requirements to make a 'news' page a legitimate source of information on these platforms.
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