So read this meme shared by Twitter/X owner Elon Musk in response to a letter from EU officials regarding concerns about “hateful content” on social media platforms.
The billionaire took over the company in October 2022, but it has since been mired in controversy, particularly over the spread of misinformation.
Read more: Hamza Yousaf: This is why I’m still on Twitter/X despite the Elon Musk turmoil
From a Scottish perspective, Mr Musk has been embroiled in a spat with former Prime Minister Humza Yousaf after the MSP shared a heavily edited speech when he was Attorney General.
The conflict didn’t stop there, with Yousaf reportedly threatening Musk with legal action, to which the Twitter/X owner labeled the former FM a “scumbag”. I responded.
He also positively shared a post by Malaysian right-wing influencer Ian Miles Chong, who said anyone who showed someone a “spicy meme” about transgender people or “mass immigration” would be subject to Scottish hate crime laws. suggested that he be imprisoned based on the law, but this claim was denied by top officials. Legal scholar.
But not all the misinformation is about masks, with Reform leader Nigel Farage previously apologizing for spreading misinformation about the murder of three girls in Southport.
He was referring to reports on Twitter/X that the attackers were “known to security authorities.”
Meanwhile, in early August, Police Scotland was forced to issue a statement following unverified social media claims that a far-right demonstration was about to take place in Glasgow.
And that’s all just in Scotland. The question arises how to solve problems like Twitter/X when misinformation is so prevalent and there is no end in sight for improvement.
take a step back
Earlier this week, Scottish Libraries’ representative body CILIPS issued a statement saying it was withdrawing from its platform due to “misinformation” and “harmful content”.
It was also the same week that the International Panel on the Information Environment (IPIE) report placed social media owners at the top of the list of the biggest perceived threats to the new environment of trust online.
IPIE co-founder Professor Philip Howard from the University of Oxford told the Sunday National that he was “concerned” that social media companies did not seem to be responding to calls for change. .
Read more: Full timeline of Elon Musk vs. Humza Yousaf
The committee’s findings are based on responses from 412 researchers from a variety of fields, primarily concentrated in the United States and Western Europe, but also in other countries such as China, India, Nigeria and Brazil.
“It covered a wide range of questions about political parties and government intervention, and the focus was really on ownership,” Howard explained.
“We had examples in mind, such as Elon Musk, but we didn’t specifically identify him because we wanted people to think about ownership structures in general.
“I think I was struck by how consistently everyone around the world recognized the fact that these platforms for public conversation are owned by certain people with their own interests. .”
Twitter/X also just released its latest transparency report, showing that from January to June 2024, nearly 5.3 million accounts were suspended and more than 10.6 million posts were removed or flagged for violating platform rules. He revealed that he had been exposed.
For Dr Yvonne Skipper of the University of Glasgow (who herself left Twitter/X because it had become such a “toxic space”), the onus is on individuals to educate themselves.
She told the Sunday National:
“We can’t just click share without reading or researching the book, but we also have a responsibility on the platform to make sure it’s a safe place and isn’t causing these problems.”
What do members of Congress think?
Previous reports have suggested that a number of Labor MPs have left Twitter/X following comments by Musk (below) about far-right riots in the UK and Northern Ireland, including his comment that “civil war is inevitable”. has been done.
Meanwhile, bosses at social media site BlueSky have indicated they are keeping an eye on politicians on the platform, whose users include prominent Labor figures Jess Phillips and Diane Abbott.
However, in an interview with the Sunday National newspaper, Humza Yousaf said he was not “bullied” by Twitter/X despite his ongoing spat with the owners.
Meanwhile, Perth and Kinross-shire SNP MP Pete Wishart (below) told the Sunday National it was still on the platform but was being used less frequently.
“I continue to use Twitter/X for now, but with little enthusiasm and much less time using it,” he said.
“Since Mr. Musk took office, the potential for encountering abuse, discomfort, and misinformation has increased significantly.
“The only saving grace is the block button. If you use it wisely, you’ll have a pleasant experience.”
However, due to changes to the block button, if your account is public, blocked users will still be able to see your posts, but will no longer be able to interact with you.
Wishart added that he has stayed on the platform because he has built up a following over time and still believes it helps promote his articles and breaking news.
“Like a lot of people, if we could somehow completely migrate to another, more comfortable site, we would do so in a heartbeat,” he said.
“I hope that maybe someday soon Mr. Musk will get tired of the very expensive toys and we can go back to a more facilitative, moderate environment where we’re a little more engaged.”
potential solution
While the problems with social media platforms are obvious to everyone, both Professor Howard and Dr. Skipper believe there are solutions that can be implemented.
Professor Howard believes that stricter rules around content labeling would create a healthier online news environment for people to consume news.
“Last summer, IPIE conducted a large-scale study of 10,000 articles over 10 years and found that a consistently effective intervention was content labeling,” he said. Ta.
“So even the simplest system with green flags, yellow flags, or red flags that indicate to the user the platform, whether something is true or requires additional reading. I don’t know.
“It is the simplest system that can increase the reliability of information sources.”
He added: “At the end of the day, companies want self-regulation, they don’t want public policy oversight.
“But the best model is one where the government tells the platforms that they need to put things in place and follow the rules, but they can’t just change the guidelines at will.
“The government won’t regulate content, but we don’t want private billionaire owners to do it.
“The best way forward is a clear system for explaining to users what the flags mean and applying them consistently across the site.”
For Dr. Skipper, it all comes down to education across all age groups.
“The problem with fake news is that it’s a bit like driving a car: we all think we’re above average,” she says.
“So we tend to think we’re better at spotting it than we actually are, which makes us very vulnerable.
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“I think we need to introduce education about this as soon as possible. Even young children can understand telling the truth and lying.
“They’re using tablets, which of course aren’t meant to be used on social media, but even 8-year-olds can understand age-appropriate things like what’s in the comments section, why they’re being said that way, and the safety of who they’re talking to. You can have a conversation.
“But a lot of kids are so good at identifying things like Photoshop edits that we can’t simply think of them as adults, because that’s what they’re doing.”