Below is an excerpt from an article, “America Must Regulate Social Media,” written by NULab Faculty John Wihbey for Time Magazine.
“America’s tech companies invented social media. Now, the rest of the world is jumping at the chance to regulate platforms like Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, X, and Reddit. From the EU to the UK, India to Brazil, Thailand to Australia, new laws of many kinds are attempting to tame Silicon Valley’s platforms.
Meanwhile, American policymakers remain on the sidelines, creating a dangerous vacuum. Despite a decade of trying, nothing seems close to happening in Washington. The country that led in tech innovation has failed to lead in safety guardrails that could help communities deal with online privacy, hate speech, disinformation, and abuse.
American inertia has become a global liability. Our tech companies are a threat vector undermining not only our own society but also our democratic allies. Algorithms amplify extreme perspectives and hate speech, while personalization of content fragments the public sphere, making shared reality increasingly impossible.
The good news is that history suggests a path forward—if we’re willing to learn from it.”
You can read the full article from Time Magazine here: “America Must Regulate Social Media.”
