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Phalanxes of historians

Bans on inciting violence or on expressing denial of past violent events — sound like good policy, right? But with both of these, Facebook and Twitter have gotten themselves into a pickle, because it is highly unlikely that either one has the resources, knowledge and wherewithal to pursue these goals in a comprehensive, fair way.

Take inciting violence: Donald Trump has been blocked from both because they say he used their platforms to incite violence on January 6.

But what about lesser known individuals who use these platforms to incite violence? According to The Holly, which I reviewed in last week’s IJN, Facebook is regularly used by gang members to make threats against rivals. The book even claims that “Facebook taunts [ . . . ] were often a driver of more violence.” Yet these accounts remain active even as people are shot dead in Denver streets. Why is that?

Or what about the Hamas recruitment video I saw last week on Twitter?

Then there is Twitter’s announcement that it will not permit the denial of past, violent events. Good luck. Will Twitter employ phalanxes of historians to analyze the complexities of past atrocities? Take the Israel-Palestinian issue, which is highly complex with differing points of view, each rooted in interpretations of historical events. Does Twitter really have the capacity to decide what “denial” is in that case?

Let’s just talk logistics. Does Twitter employ people who speak literally every language in the world to monitor what is posted?

Traditional media, i.e. content creators, typically have work processes that ensure a level of review and approval before a story is reported, whether in a newspaper or on TV, the radio or online.

Social media are unwieldy content-sharing behemoths. They create nothing; there is no step in the process where an actual person has to make a judgement call and take responsibility for what’s published.

Last week I reported a series of tweets that invoked hateful anti-Semitism. As of this writing, they remain online. I don’t believe Twitter supports these comments; it just doesn’t have the resources to address in a timely manner every report it receives. So what we’re potentially (and likely) going to end up with is unnuanced, controversial censorship that no one will have to answer for.

I like social media for seeing instant reactions to current events (mostly sports!) and reading tweets that spur discussion. But for a deeper, better understanding of what’s happening — or happened — in the world? I’ll always chose traditional media sources, and am proud to be associated with one.

Shana Goldberg may be reached at [email protected]

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IJN Assistant Publisher | [email protected]


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