Now is a good time to think about the excesses of social media

The real world now seems more conscious of what has been going wrong in the virtual world, writes Sean O'Grady

There has been a push for social media companies to take more action over the content on their platforms (AFP/Getty)

Coca-Cola is going to “pause” its advertising on social media platforms. Its high-profile move is only the latest in a gradual retreat in engagement from Facebook and other social media that have been used by some as a platform for spreading hate or fake news.

Corporates and citizens seem united in their revulsion at trends online. “Anti-social media” is an old joke, and it’s getting even less funny. Donald Trump, for his own reasons, threatens the platform’s immunity from US libel claims.

Dozens of advertisers have joined a recent boycott of Facebook, as they call for more action. Mark Zuckerberg, boss of Facebook, said on Friday that the company was tightening its policies to “address the reality of the challenges our country is facing and how they’re showing up across our community”, that includes adding a label to “problematic” content that falls outside of those categories. Twitter had done that to at least one of the US president’s tweets in recent weeks.

Good, but there a couple of problems. First, social media is just too vast and too busy to be policed. Second, users are quick to switch platforms if the rules get tightened. When Katy Hopkins was recently suspended from Twitter for “violations of hateful conduct policy” she migrated to Parler.

Where will it end? I don’t know but at least the real world seems more conscious of what has been going wrong in the virtual world. It might also, you’d hope, mean a greater premium attached to news and opinion from those that take their responsibilities seriously.

Democratic societies should benefit from this renewed backlash against the excesses of social media.

Yours,

Sean O’Grady

Associate editor