Former President Barack Obama will take the stage at Stanford University on Thursday to deliver a keynote address about disinformation and the dangers it poses to democracy.
Obama, whose campaign successfully used social media to raise awareness of his agenda, will touch on the state of online vitriol and its impact on society in general in a speech set to begin at 3:15 p.m. EST.
“A lot of the reason that it’s so hard to bring about change is we live in a media environment now that elevates falsehoods as much as truths, that divides people more than it brings them together,” he said during a conversation with Jeffrey Goldberg, Editor-in-Chief of The Atlantic.
But according to documents revealed by Facebook (FB) whistleblower Frances Haugen, divisive content actually drives user engagement on social media platforms. That’s because users are more likely to interact with posts they find objectionable.
Chances are you’ve run into disinformation while scrolling and swiping on your own. Whether it’s doctored videos of politicians like Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), or phony articles from your Uncle’s friend’s cousin, lies proliferate on social media.
Democrats in Congress have repeatedly admonished platforms including Facebook, YouTube (GOOG, GOOGL), TikTok, and Twitter (TWTR) for allowing the spread of disinformation, and called on them to improve content moderation practices. However, platforms receive broad immunity for user-generated content thanks to Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act.
Many Republicans, meanwhile, have railed against social media sites for removing content that violates their terms of service, claiming it violates users’ free speech rights. Again, however, platforms are protected because content moderation is a form of free speech.
More recently, Tesla (TSLA) CEO Elon Musk has criticized platforms like Twitter for supposedly stifling free speech. The mercurial head of SpaceX and The Boring Company is attempting a hostile takeover of the social media platform and is expected to extend a tender offer to shareholders in the coming days.
In a Thursday filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Musk confirmed that he is considering a tender offer to acquire all outstanding common shares of Twitter. What’s more, he’s received funding commitments from interested parties to the tune of $46.5 billion to make it happen.
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