A recent “conversation” between New York Times columnists Gail Collins and Bret Stephens revealed the conservative lacunae regarding speech and social media.
Stephens borrows a quote from the usual libertarian source for out of context maxims, Thomas Jefferson, to support his Federalist approach to social media. In his first inaugural address Jefferson wrote that “error of opinion may be tolerated, where reason is left free to combat it.”
First and foremost, content on social media is not free or open. It is controlled by algorithms which instead of offering challenges (or “combat” to borrow Jefferson’s metaphor) provide a steady stream of bile and invective at whichever side you are against.
For your own beliefs (ascertained by machine learning of course), it serves up pablum, misdirection, and sometimes a big stinking pile of comforting lies. These algorithms play to our base instincts of fear and rage. Arguments, in the sense of a reasoned and logical decision based on a close analysis of competing ideas and facts, make no impact in the ring of fear and anger: when the amygdala and frontal lobe duke it out, it’s instinct in a knockout. Rational thought is left spread-eagled on the mat.
In the same essay, Stephens’ argues that the existing “ecology of truth” will rectify the torrent of this information on social media.
Again, he swings and misses. Our epistemological truth (or “ecology”), just like our natural ecology, has been poisoned by man-made technology. People on social media can never find out what is right or wrong because they are being machine-fed the lies they want to hear.
And the machine drowns out truth.
Make America Think Again 