Opinion |

Social media and the future of democracy

If you’re still weary from the 2020 presidential election, you’d better steel your nerves. Midterm election primaries are practically upon us.

The season begins on March 1 in Texas. There’s a break until May, when a dozen states will hold their primaries. June is the busiest month; it’s when voters in California and 17 other states will cast ballots.

When midterm elections finally take place on Nov. 8, Americans will choose 469 members of Congress: 34 in the Senate and 435 in the House of Representatives. Democratic control of one or both chambers could change.

As we are apt to say about elections of late, there’s a lot at stake this fall. And as we’ve seen in campaigns since Donald Trump vs. Hillary Clinton in 2016, social media will have a role to play — like it or not.

During that contest, we learned about Russian bots: anonymous political “commentators” linked to the Russian government that operate according to programmed instructions. The bots spread false information and divisive political content on Twitter, Facebook and other platforms. They relied on getting an emotional response from everyday people who would share the posts — and their outrage — with others.

Facebook later estimated that as many as 126 million Americans had been exposed to Russian-backed misinformation during the campaign. And Twitter admitted that more than 50,000 Russia-linked accounts had used its service. Both platforms took the unusual step of notifying people who liked, followed or shared any of the posts — but well after the election.

There’s no question that since 2016, social media has become omnipresent in our lives. We shudder at stories of its destructive effects on children and teens, radicalizing young men and demoralizing young women. Government has responded: Just last week, The Kids Online Safety Act was introduced in the Senate. It requires tech platforms to implement new controls for kids and their parents and to make changes that prevent the promotion of certain harmful behaviors.

We’ve learned that social media played a big part in the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. Hundreds of thousands of posts have been examined by prosecutors in the criminal investigation. More than proof of crimes being committed, the posts provide invaluable evidence of the defendants’ intent.

Considering the 2016 election shenanigans and Jan. 6 insurrection, we might conclude that social media has been detrimental to democracy. But we’ve also seen that social media can aid democratization, as it did during the Arab Spring, which began in 2010. Across the Middle East and in North Africa, people mobilized to speak out against government corruption and economic stagnation, demanding change. The desire for democracy was on full display.

It’s why the National Conflict Resolution Center, as part of its “A Path Forward” initiative, is hosting a virtual conversation next month called “Social Media and the Future of Democracy.” We will talk about ways to tip the balance, so social media becomes more of a force for good — and what more the technology companies, advertisers and our government could be doing.

Our panelists will include Aza Raskin, a creator of the 2020 Emmy Award-winning movie “The Social Dilemma” and co-founder of the Center for Humane Technology, a nonprofit organization that is dedicated to reimagining our digital infrastructure; and Katie Harbath, chief executive of Anchor Change, a company focused on issues at the intersection of technology and democracy.

The event will be moderated by Dr. Mary Anne Franks, professor of law at the University of Miami School of Law. Franks is an international expert on the intersection of civil rights and technology.

And while it’s easy enough to turn to the tech companies or government to solve the social media “problem,” the panel will also explore what each of us — as consumers of social media — can do. As Bret Schafer, an analyst at the Alliance for Securing Democracy, told Mother Jones, “Social-media users need to be aware of their role in information laundering. If a user retweets, emails, or posts information taken from a less-than-credible point of origin, they now have become the new ‘source’ of that information for friends, family, and followers.” That comes with a lot of responsibility.

If you care about the future of democracy in our country, be sure to join us on March 10.

The National Conflict Resolution Center will host “Social Media and the Future of Democracy,” a free, virtual event, on March 10 at 5:00 p.m. PST. For information or to register, visit ncrconline.com.

Dinkin is president of the National Conflict Resolution Center, a San Diego-based group working to create solutions to challenging issues, including intolerance and incivility. To learn about NCRC’s programming, visit ncrconline.com.