First, I think this is a great comment and worth discussing.
Second, I'm not sure I agree with your assertion that we (entities with the capability and responsibility) should be required to allow something fundamentally dangerous to the nation's integrity to be an amplified message.
The reasoning is that to get to "every human being to get a great education", we need a phenomenal, unified, progressive nation that values education very highly. To get people to willingly interact with people that look different from them, we need a shared belief in the value of diversity. I believe we have evidence that large proportions of the population are readily influenced and manipulated by media, and of course peer-sourced media may have become even more powerful than what was once reputation-based journalism.
Now, I don't think cutting off the amplification of substantially dangerous ideas does fix the underlying problem, but it seems rational to believe it is currently contributing to the problem. It's in the causal chain. To reach the better society you envision, we need the same elements we hope to achieve - great education and humanity and valuing diversity. Basically, it's hoping that the majority of individuals flip a switch and embrace the changes we need, and from there we can continue to propagate the change.
I don't feel like I have the answers, because it's a difficult problem, and I don't believe the trajectory is currently positive. Spreading misinformation is getting easier. Accepting misinformation seems to be growing more prevalent. A once seemingly foregone conclusion of the inevitable ubiquitous acceptance of diversity appears to be tragically stalled. The entities we elected to solve these problems are no longer content to work together in civil discussion and compromise in order to discover and implement potential solutions.
If there's a choice between the band-aid of social media trying to put a finger in the dam to stop the flooding, and an effective remedy to the core problems, I'll gladly choose the remedy, but given the apparent non-existence of such a remedy, I'll begrudgingly accept the band-aid.
Second, I'm not sure I agree with your assertion that we (entities with the capability and responsibility) should be required to allow something fundamentally dangerous to the nation's integrity to be an amplified message.
The reasoning is that to get to "every human being to get a great education", we need a phenomenal, unified, progressive nation that values education very highly. To get people to willingly interact with people that look different from them, we need a shared belief in the value of diversity. I believe we have evidence that large proportions of the population are readily influenced and manipulated by media, and of course peer-sourced media may have become even more powerful than what was once reputation-based journalism.
Now, I don't think cutting off the amplification of substantially dangerous ideas does fix the underlying problem, but it seems rational to believe it is currently contributing to the problem. It's in the causal chain. To reach the better society you envision, we need the same elements we hope to achieve - great education and humanity and valuing diversity. Basically, it's hoping that the majority of individuals flip a switch and embrace the changes we need, and from there we can continue to propagate the change.
I don't feel like I have the answers, because it's a difficult problem, and I don't believe the trajectory is currently positive. Spreading misinformation is getting easier. Accepting misinformation seems to be growing more prevalent. A once seemingly foregone conclusion of the inevitable ubiquitous acceptance of diversity appears to be tragically stalled. The entities we elected to solve these problems are no longer content to work together in civil discussion and compromise in order to discover and implement potential solutions.
If there's a choice between the band-aid of social media trying to put a finger in the dam to stop the flooding, and an effective remedy to the core problems, I'll gladly choose the remedy, but given the apparent non-existence of such a remedy, I'll begrudgingly accept the band-aid.