SOCIAL MEDIA AND BIG TECH – IF WE CAN’T BEAT ’EM, JOIN ’EM?

Social media and tech giants aren’t going to get any smaller. But they need to be regulated once and for all in their own right if we’re to live in a society that can thrive from the convenience and connectivity they offer, without having to suffer harm at their hands.

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I’m a millennial (just). I was a student at one of the first institutions where Facebook was launched. I’m a consumer. I’m a technology, media and privacy lawyer. I’m a mother. I’m an early adopter of new technology.

No-one can deny the popularity, influence, and power big tech and social media platforms have.

But since social media’s hegemony, the scandals keep on coming. From severe privacy breaches including selling personal data to third parties, fake news and disinformation, to showcasing live footage of mass killings and being cited as a major contributing factor to mental health issues that have in some cases led to suicide.

Many of us are conflicted. We are cynical about the level of social responsibility these organisations really have. We don’t really trust them. But we scroll through feeds daily, continue to post personal content, obtain a large proportion of our daily news from the one place, and can’t help but click through to tailored ads. And they do keep us connected with people…