Experts debate social media: Is the real goal to make money?

While experts differ on the control of social media platforms, Lorcan Neill from the University of North Carolina stated that the main purpose of these platforms is to make money. Other experts emphasized that regulation is inevitable as the influence of social media increases. Academics, who draw attention to the fact that social media companies are in conflict with national laws, argue that more transparency and regulation are needed for a healthy democracy.

Experts differ on the control of social media platforms. Social media expert Lorcan Neill from the University of North Carolina stated that the main purpose of these platforms is to make money, not freedom of expression. “Social media companies are in conflict with national sovereignty,” Neill said.
Neill’s statements were included in the fifth section of the dossier news titled “Social media companies are in conflict with national sovereignty.” Experts shared their views on the functioning of social media platforms and how governments should manage these platforms. While rapidly developing technology has made social media use widespread around the world, these platforms also experience conflicts with national laws.
Neill gave the Digital Services Act adopted by the European Union as an example, emphasizing that this law forces social media platforms to be transparent about user data and algorithms.
In the case of Brazil, he reported that Elon Musk stood against the government but eventually complied with court demands and reopened the platform.
Politics and Data Scientist Michael Bossetta from Lund University stated that social media platforms are private companies and will try to make a profit as long as they do not break the law.
Bossetta said these platforms are a “silent force” and that filtering content is difficult, but they make a big impact.
Bossetta also drew attention to the difficulty of regulating social media platforms, stating that governments do not understand the technology and that regulation is complicated.
Jennifer Stromer-Galley, a social media expert from Syracuse University, said that social media platforms need to be regulated and that this is important for the future of democracy.
Stromer-Galley claimed that Musk changed content moderation policies after purchasing the X platform and that he intended to influence the elections. She noted that this situation overlapped with previous practices regarding political campaigns in the US. Experts expressed their concerns about the future and regulation of social media platforms, and emphasized that governments need to understand technology better in order to carry out effective oversight.
Add a comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *


Keep Up to Date with the Most Important News

By pressing the Subscribe button, you confirm that you have read and are agreeing to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use