Which is why I was trying to make the point that social media itself needs to be held somewhat accountable for what they host on their platforms.

Perhaps no so much accountable for what they host but what they deliver. The content isn't necessarily the problem - a great deal of the content you or I don't like is still protected free speech.

The problem is not the content, but the selective filtering of the content. The problem is that when I click on, say, CNN in my feed, I will get more CNN in my feed. If I click on Fox in my feed, I get more Fox in my feed. And that happens even without doing something like subscribing or requesting more of that content.

I'd like to see those algorithms restricted in some way. I have no problem with social media giving me more of things I've subscribed to or requested or friended or whatever. It's when the algorithm sends me more similar items just because I clicked on them that is the problem.

Of course, I understand that the issue is advertising. If the social media sites can get more ad revenue by providing targeted ads to their users, that's better for them even if it's bad for society as a whole. And they accomplish that by providing more links that will have ads that a particular user is likely to click on. And that means algorithms.

Perhaps it's time to put the needs of a democratic society above the needs of corporations to make ever higher profits. Now there's a radical idea for sure.

--Peter