The use of social media is among the most rising phenomena worldwide. Society has developed a culture where online communication is gradually becoming primary, particularly for the younger generation. Such a transition has its benefits as well as disadvantages. While social networking platforms have brought communities closer by offering easier, convenient, and faster connections, they have brought several harmful effects such as addiction and moral decadence. Moreover, Big Tech companies such as Facebook, Google, Instagram, Twitter, and Snapchat are rapidly becoming influential in an unregulated field, raising concerns over censorship controversies (Evans, 2020). As an active social media user, I believe that Big Tech firms should be regulated to alleviate their detrimental impacts on users and society at large.
Big Tech censorship can be connected to two major disadvantages, warranting the need for its regulation. First, it leads to the use of double standards and implicit bias against different users. For instance, on October 14, 2020, Twitter and Facebook barred subscribers from sharing a front-page story by the New York Post about the Biden Family’s contacts in Ukraine (Evans, 2020). This act raises concerns over Big Tech’s intervention in how political dialog gets treated, which is likely to escalate animosity between Republicans and Democrats. Second, censorship results in the suppression of the right to free speech (Evans, 2020). By controlling what users post on their social media accounts, these platforms are infringing people’s freedom of speech which is against the law. Thus, there should be established digital laws that define the extent to which Big Tech applies censorship.
My feeling about the use of social networking sites (SNS) is fulfilling. They have offered me a platform where I can share my thoughts and life experiences with my friends, relatives, and the world. Besides, SNS offers a crucial source of vast information ranging from science, business, politics, entertainment, and the economy. I prefer using Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter because they do not focus on specific subscribers, enabling someone to learn about values, norms, and cultures embraced by different people globally. Moreover, I am particularly attracted to Twitter’s “hashtag” feature as it allows one to stay updated and informed about any trending situation worldwide. As a user, I feel that my favorite SNS brings a unique feeling of satisfaction.
Despite the various benefits associated with social media platforms, they can also be connected to two major evils. First, Big Tech follows an addictive business model whose goal is to keep users glued to their phones, tablets, or computers to make as much as possible through advertisement. As a result, people gradually develop over-reliance on SNS usage, leading to depression when an individual has logged out of their social media accounts for a long time. In worse scenarios, SNS addiction causes suicide, especially for the victims of online bullying. Second, these platforms do not control what content can be accessed by minors, which is contributing to moral decay as they are exposed to explicit information at a tender age. However, these evils will not affect the future of Big Tech. Particularly, Facebook is set to be the next big game in social media as it has heavily invested in market dominance by acquiring other major firms such as WhatsApp and Instagram.
In summary, I believe that these companies need to operate under regulations to avoid their associated devastating effects on individuals and society. Notably, Big Tech censorship is linked to two main setbacks, which include double standards and bias, and suppression of users’ right to free speech. On a personal level, my feeling about social media usage is satisfying as it provides me with a chance to connect with my circles and the world as well as serves as an important source of voluminous information. Despite such benefits, these platforms are connected to such evils as an addictive business model and a lack of control over the type of content that is accessible to children users. However, such ills will not deter the future of SNS, with the next big game in the industry set to be Facebook due to its heavy investment in market dominance strategies.
Reference
Evans, K. (2020). Kelly Evans: The Big Tech censorship confusion. CNBC. Web.