SOCIAL MEDIA USERS SAYS SITES
LIKE FACEBOOK AND TWITTER MAKE
THEIR LIFE WORSE.
JOINING US NOW TO DISCUSS
POLITICS AND SOCIAL MEDIA, NBC
REPORTER BEN COLLINS.
BEN, I WANT TO START WITH THE
FACEBOOK OVERSIGHT BOARD’S
RULING TO MAKE FACEBOOK DECIDE
ON ITS OWN ABOUT THE STATUS OF
TRUMP’S ACCOUNTS.
THE CO-CHAIR SPOKE ON FOX NEWS
THIS MORNING.
TAKE A LISTEN.
>> WE GAVE THEM A CERTAIN AMOUNT
OF TIME TO GET THAT -- GET THEIR
HOUSE IN ORDER.
THEY NEEDED SOME TIME BECAUSE
THEIR RULES ARE A SHAMBLES.
THEY’RE NOT TRANSPARENT.
THEY’RE UNCLEAR.
THEY’RE INTERNALLY INCONSISTENT.
SO WE MADE A SERIES OF
RECOMMENDATIONS ABOUT HOW TO
MAKE THEIR RULES CLEARER AND
MORE CONSISTENT.
AND THE HOPE IS THAT THEY WILL
USE THE NEXT FEW MONTHS TO DO
THAT.
>> UNDERSTANDING THAT ONE OF THE
CRITIQUES THERE WAS JUST LACK OF
CLARITY AND TRANSPARENCY, DO YOU
HAVE ANY INSIGHT ON HOW FACEBOOK
PLANS TO REVIEW THIS MATTER ON
THEIR OWN NOW?
>> IT’S -- LOOK, THAT’S A REALLY
GOOD QUESTION.
THAT’S THE OVERARCHING PROBLEM
HERE, IS THAT THE RULES DON’T
APPLY THE SAME TO EVERYBODY.
AND YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE BIG
RULES THEY MADE OVER THE LAST
FEW YEARS WAS THAT’S PART OF THE
NEW RULES, IS THAT THE RULES
DON’T APPLY THE SAME TO
EVERYBODY.
POLITICIANS GET MORE LEEWAY
BECAUSE THEY’RE IN THE PUBLIC
INTEREST.
FOR SOME REASON IF YOU’RE IN THE
PUBLIC INTEREST, YOU CAN SAY
SOME HORRIFIC STUFF ON FACEBOOK
AND GET AWAY WITH IT.
AND THIS BOARD SAID, LIKE, THAT
CAN BE YOUR RULE, BUT EVEN THAT
IS UNEVENLY ENFORCED.
SO IN SIX MONTHS, WE WILL --
THEY WILL HOPEFULLY COME BACK
WITH SOME HARDER AND FASTER
RULES.
BASICALLY, THIS COURT, WHICH IS
WHAT IT IS, THIS MODERATION
COURT, SAID YOU WANT US TO BE
THE SUPREME COURT WITHOUT A
CONSTITUTION.
COME UP WITH A CONSTITUTION
FIRST, AND THEN WE CAN
ADJUDICATE WHO THESE LAWS APPLY
TO, BASICALLY.
>> SO ALL OF THIS IS RELEVANT
BECAUSE IT IS SHAPING PUBLIC
OPINION.
REPUBLICANS OFTEN ARGUE FACEBOOK
IS CENSORING REPUBLICAN
OPINIONS.
I’M GOING TO PULL UP THIS TWEET
FROM A "NEW YORK TIMES" TECH
COLUMNIST.
NINE OF THE TOP TEN PERFORMING
LINK POSTS ON FRIDAY WERE FROM
CONSERVATIVE VOICES.
HOW DOES FACEBOOK SHAPE THE
VIEWS OF THOSE THAT MIGHT NOT
GET NEWS FROM TRADITIONAL MEDIA?
>> YEAH, LOOK.
FACEBOOK, AS YOU CAN TELL BY
THAT, NOT JUST THAT GRAPHIC, BUT
THE ONE YOU PUT UP BEFORE WHERE
IT SAYS IT’S DIVIDING US MORE
THAN EVER.
FACEBOOK SILOS YOU.
IT PUTS YOU INTO AN IDEALOGICAL
BASICALLY LIKE A FILTER BUBBLE
IS WHAT IT USED TO BE CALLED.
AND IT MAKES IT SO PEOPLE WHO
YOU DISAGREE WITH, YOU DON’T
REALLY SEE WHAT’S GOING ON WITH
THEM.
YOU DON’T SEE WHAT THEY’RE
SAYING OR HOW THEY VIEW THINGS.
YOU JUST LEARN TO BE ANGRY AT
THEM.
THAT’S WHAT WE SAW IN THE 9 OUT
OF 10 POSTS.
THOSE ARE HYPERPARTISAN PAGES.
THAT’S WHAT THOSE SITES ARE MADE
TO DO, MADE TO GET YOU ANGRIER
SO YOU COME BACK TOMORROW TO GET
MORE THINGS TO GET YOU EVEN
ANGRIER.
THAT’S A PROBLEM THAT THE
OVERSIGHT BOARD ACTUALLY TALKED
ABOUT.
ONE OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS, A
LONG RULER, THE TOP LINE OF THE
RULING IS THE THING THAT GOT THE
HEADLINES, BUT IN THE BOTTOM OF
THE RULING, THEY SAID PRETTY
EXPLICITLY, YOU KNOW, YOU OUGHT
TO LOOK INTO WHY ONE GUY HAS SO
MUCH POWER AND WHY THAT ONE GUY
APPEARS TO BE THE MOST
INFLAMMATORY PERSON IN THAT
PLATFORM.
WHY IS HE THE MOST POWERFUL
PERSON?
YOU HAVE TO LOOK INTO IT.
>> THAT PERSON KIND OF RETURNED
TO SOCIAL MEDIA THIS WEEK IN THE
FORM OF BLOGGING, NEXT HE’S
GOING TO START A FRIENDSTER
ACCOUNT.
I JUST, WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF THE
FACT THAT BLOGGING IS NOW THE
TOOL HE’S USING TO GET HIS
MESSAGE OUT TO HIS FOLLOWERS?
>> WELL, YOU KNOW, A LOT WAS
MADE OUT OF HOW DONALD TRUMP’S
BEEN BANNED FROM ALL THESE
PLATFORMS.
CENSORED AND SILENCED.
HE CAN PUT WHATEVER HE WANTS ON
THE INTERNET.
THAT’S VERY PROVEN BY THE BLOG
YOU CAN SEE RIGHT THERE.
YOU KNOW, YOU CAN SEE ALL THE
STUFF THAT HE -- THOSE ARE VERY
LONG TWEETS, BASICALLY.
YOU CAN TWEET THOSE POSTS.
YOU CAN PERSONALLY INDEPENDENTLY
PUT THOSE UP FOR HIM.
YOU KNOW, A LOT HAS BEEN MADE
OUT OF WHAT IS CALLED
DEPLATFORMING.
WHAT IS CALLED SOCIAL MEDIA
CENSORSHIP, BUT THERE’S NO
STOPPING THIS.
HE CAN DO WHATEVER HE WANTS.
AND I THINK HE’S LEARNING THIS
LESSON NOW, AND PEOPLE ARE
LEARNING THIS, TOO.
HE HAS THE POWER TO POST
WHATEVER HE WANTS.
THE PEOPLE ARE GOING TO SCREEN
SHOT THOSE POSTS.
AND WE’RE GOING TO BE LIVING
WITH THIS FOREVER.
THIS IS THE WAY LIFE IS.
THIS IS HOW FREEDOM OF SPEECH
WORKS.
YOU CAN SAY WHATEVER YOU WANT ON
THE INTERNET.
SOME COMPANIES AREN’T GOING TO
BE COOL WITH YOU POSTING IT ON
THEIR MASSIVE MEGA PHONE.
>> ALL THAT IS TRUE, AND AT THE
SAME TIME, I RETURN TO THOSE
NUMBERS, BEN, ABOUT HOW ALL OF
THIS SOCIAL MEDIA IS MAKING
PEOPLE FEEL.
AND I DO WONDER, AND I REALIZE
THIS IS AN IMPOSSIBLE QUESTION
TO TRULY ANSWER, BUT AT WHAT
POINT WE HIT A BREAKING POINT
WHERE WE SAY, IF IT’S DIVIDING
US AND NOT BRINGING US TOGETHER,
IF WE USE THESE SERVICES AND WE
WALK AWAY FEELING WORSE ABOUT
OURSELVES AND OUR LIVES AND THE
WORLD WE LIVE IN, AT WHAT POINT
THERE BEGINS TO BE A MASS EXODUS
FROM THESE PLATFORMS.
>> I THINK THAT, ALICIA, IF YOU
HAVE EVER HANDLED PEOPLE WHO ARE
CIGARETTE SMOKERS IN YOUR LIFE,
I HAD SEVERAL GRANDPARENTS WHO
DIED OF LUNG CANCER BECAUSE OF
CIGARETTE SMOKING, EVERY DAY,
THEY SAID, OH, MAN, I HATE THIS.
THIS IS AWFUL.
IT’S BAD FOR MY GRANDCHILDREN,
BUT THEY KEPT SMOKING.
THAT’S WHAT WE HAVE HERE.
WE HAVE AN ADDICTIVE THING THAT
DOES SOMETHING TO OUR BRAIN.
IT GETS US ANGRY AND IT GIVES US
IDENTITY.
YOU CAN’T JUST STRIP THAT AWAY
FROM PEOPLE WILLY-NILLY.
IT’S GOING TO BE VERY HARD FOR
PEOPLE TO CHANGE THEIR HABITS.
HOPEFULLY WHEN THE WORLD OPENS
BACK UP, GETS PEOPLE OUTSIDE AND
DOING STUFF THAT WANT TO DO
AGAIN.
WE WERE LOCKED INSIDE FOR A YEAR
THERE, BUT OVER THE NEXT FEW
MONTHS, MAYBE IF THERE IS SOME
REAL CORRECTIVE ACTION THAT
COMES FROM JUST BEING OUTSIDE,
MAYBE THAT CAN SHOW PEOPLE, YOU
KNOW, WE DON’T HAVE TO HATE EACH
OTHER ALL DAY LONG.
WE DON’T HAVE TO SCROLL THROUGH
AND FIND THE NEXT THING TO BE