It appears that the gloomy times of the unrestrained internet are back.
In a show of deference to alt-right mega-influencers and their attack against “woke media,” two of the biggest international social media corporations have already given up on significant projects and efforts to control speech on their networks.
The reversal appears to have begun when multibillionaire Elon Musk acquired Twitter in 2022, ostensibly with the intention of using its popularity to sway the US presidential election of 2024. Musk has steadily lifted restrictions on accounts that violate numerous platform standards, particularly those pertaining to racial, gender, and religious equality, as part of his attempt to rebrand the platform in his own image, which included renaming it “X.” As a result, X has become a poisonous hotbed of hatred.
You may remember that after the heinous attack on the US Capitol in January 2021, US president-elect Donald Trump was banned from Twitter, Facebook, and several other social media sites. Now, with Mr Trump about to make a defiant re-entry into the most powerful office in the world, those tech companies seem to be scrambling to get back on his good side. The new ‘X’, under Mr Musk, has already proven its loyalties by pushing Mr Trump’s campaign and getting him elected. This has earned it enough favour that Mr Musk has even been invited to join the new government. Meta now seems eager to catch up: it has announced that it is abandoning third-party fact-checking initiatives and easing moderation of sensitive topics because its founder believes Mr Trump’s election has signalled a “cultural tipping point” towards free speech over moderation. There have been enough indications of what lies ahead: on X, Mr. Musk has spearheaded numerous attacks against Muslims, immigrants, and British Pakistanis in recent weeks, using heinous crimes like child grooming and sexual assault to present these groups in a way that is extremely offensive to millions of his supporters. Now, it appears that this trend will also extend to other social media sites.
Despite its window-dressing, the “cultural tipping point” actually appears to be dangerously skewed toward overt xenophobia supported by influential Silicon Valley businesspeople in America.
To safeguard its interests, mainstream media, which has been continuously mistreated and delegitimized by the self-appointed guardians of the social media masses, would have to refrain from following suit. Indeed, as social media firms shirk their responsibilities and cozy up to the new government, we are entering a time when fact-based reporting and responsible journalism will be essential to maintaining global order.
In order to prevent or at least lessen harm to the alt-right’s targets, mainstream media must take the initiative and accept the duty of influencing global debate, particularly around hot-button issues.
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