Social Media: Dangers, Regulations, and Section 230

Shoshana Weissman and Marc Berkman explore the negative aspects of social media, social media regulations, and touch on Section 230 and whether ideological bias persists in content moderation on major platforms. Shoshana Weissmann manages R-Street Institute’s social media and email marketing, in addition to contributing graphics and video skills. She also works on occupational licensing reform and other issues, and has written for various publications, including The Wall Street Journal and USA Today. Marc Berkman has a decade of experience in public policy and management serving as a senior advisor to members of Congress and the California State Assembly. During his time as a legislative aide, he developed numerous legislative initiatives, including Jordan’s Law. Marc received his JD from Columbia Law School and his BA from UC Berkeley. Time Stamp Index: 2:25 – Opening Remarks 2:32 – Shoshana’s Opening Remarks 5:21 – Marc’s Opening Remarks 7:00 – Question: Why did you decide to make social media part of your livelihood? 7:22 – Marc’s Answer 11:48 – Shoshana’s Answer 16:58 – Question: How do you define Social Media? 17:20 – Marc’s Answer 18:10 – Shoshana’s Answer 19:08 – Question: Do you have an opinion on Netflix’s: The Social Dilemma? 19:33 – Shoshana’s Answer 21:45 – Marc’s Answer 26:40 – Question: Can regulation mitigate the negative aspects of social media? 27:11 – Shoshana’s Answer 31:36 – Marc’s Answer 40:02 – Question: How does the Organization for Social Media Safety conduct their education portion of work? 40:24 – Marc’s Answer 42:58 – Topic: Social Media and its usage by Children 43:20 – Shoshana’s Answer 46:37 – Marc’s Answer 50:29 – Question: Does the age of our legislators play a role in how they approach regulatory measures? 51:04 – Marc’s Answer 52:11 – Shoshana’s Answer 55:27 – Question: Are conservative views actually censored on social media? Thoughts on Parler? 55:57 – Shoshana’s Answer 58:50 – Marc’s Answer 1:04:05 – Mini Discussion on Parler 1:08:52 – Question: How does social media play into the mental health of everyone and in the public health sphere as a whole? 1:09:17 – Marc’s Answer 1:14:40 – Shoshana’s Answer 1:20:42 – Question: What are some of the positives of Social Media? 1:20:57 – Marc’s Answer 1:22:28 – Shoshana’s Answer 1:25:12 – Marc’s Reply 1:25:54 – Topic: Network Building on Social Media 1:26:07 – Shoshana’s Answer 1:26:55 – Closing Remarks 1:27:01 – Shoshana’s Closing Remarks 1:29:42 – Marc’s Closing Remarks