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Social Media and the Public Interest: Media Regulation in the Disinformation Age
Facebook, a platform created by undergraduates in a Harvard dorm room, has transformed the ways millions of people consume news, understand the world, and participate in the political process. Despite taking on many of journalism’s traditional roles, Facebook and other platforms, such as Twitter and Google, have presented themselves as tech companies―and therefore not subject to the same regulations and ethical codes as conventional media organizations. Challenging such superficial distinctions, Philip M. Napoli offers a timely and persuasive case for understanding and governing social media as news media, with a fundamental obligation to serve the public interest.
Social Media and the Public Interest explores how and why social media platforms became so central to news consumption and distribution as they met many of the challenges of finding information―and audiences―online. Napoli illustrates the implications of a system in which coders and engineers drive out journalists and editors as the gatekeepers who determine media content. He argues that a social media–driven news ecosystem represents a case of market failure in what he calls the algorithmic marketplace of ideas. To respond, we need to rethink fundamental elements of media governance based on a revitalized concept of the public interest. A compelling examination of the intersection of social media and journalism, Social Media and the Public Interest offers valuable insights for the democratic governance of today’s most influential shapers of news.
Social Media and the Public Interest explores how and why social media platforms became so central to news consumption and distribution as they met many of the challenges of finding information―and audiences―online. Napoli illustrates the implications of a system in which coders and engineers drive out journalists and editors as the gatekeepers who determine media content. He argues that a social media–driven news ecosystem represents a case of market failure in what he calls the algorithmic marketplace of ideas. To respond, we need to rethink fundamental elements of media governance based on a revitalized concept of the public interest. A compelling examination of the intersection of social media and journalism, Social Media and the Public Interest offers valuable insights for the democratic governance of today’s most influential shapers of news.
296 pages, Hardcover
Published August 27, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
August 7, 2020
A fascinating and in-depth look at the evolution of social and mass media companies.
I really enjoyed this - for such an academic topic, it's written with a surprisingly accessible voice. It covers an important topic with even-handed logic, and I think it would make an interesting companion read to books like Information Wars.
A really interesting look inside what's happening with journalism, social media, and tech companies.
I really enjoyed this - for such an academic topic, it's written with a surprisingly accessible voice. It covers an important topic with even-handed logic, and I think it would make an interesting companion read to books like Information Wars.
A really interesting look inside what's happening with journalism, social media, and tech companies.
June 21, 2019
This is a useful book for anyone interested in the societal impacts of social media, and who are grappling with the problem of what to do about them.
Overall, Napoli provides a very thorough discussion of the many problems presented by the current media ecosystem and social media's role in it. The detail he goes through also helps you appreciate the complexity involved and the seriousness of the issue.
The book is extensively researched, and so helpful if you want to get caught up on academic research about the topic. This also means that it's not a light read. I'd recommend it to people who want a deeper understanding of the media environment, in order to think through policy and figure out how to dig ourselves out of the hole we're in.
Napoli makes a lot of compelling arguments in the book. For example, that companies like Facebook and Twitter should be thought of as media companies, not tech companies, even though they don't like that label. And how a lot of the concepts we've taken for granted, such as "counterspeech" and traditional interpretations of the First Amendment, don't apply very well in the modern era.
All in all, a helpful read.
Overall, Napoli provides a very thorough discussion of the many problems presented by the current media ecosystem and social media's role in it. The detail he goes through also helps you appreciate the complexity involved and the seriousness of the issue.
The book is extensively researched, and so helpful if you want to get caught up on academic research about the topic. This also means that it's not a light read. I'd recommend it to people who want a deeper understanding of the media environment, in order to think through policy and figure out how to dig ourselves out of the hole we're in.
Napoli makes a lot of compelling arguments in the book. For example, that companies like Facebook and Twitter should be thought of as media companies, not tech companies, even though they don't like that label. And how a lot of the concepts we've taken for granted, such as "counterspeech" and traditional interpretations of the First Amendment, don't apply very well in the modern era.
All in all, a helpful read.
August 24, 2019
A stark reminder that everything we read — whether it’s online or not, in a book or newspaper or social media post— people listen and absorb that information. And social media is the biggest and fast way for people to find and learn about new information happening. With false news running rampant and propaganda occurring right in front of our unsuspecting eyes, it’s important to become aware of what we see daily.
A very good book.
A very good book.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews