Meta, the parent company of Instagram, Whatsapp and Facebook, has announced that it will stop fact-checking in the US and drastically reduce moderation worldwide. In doing so, it opens the door to sexism, homophobia, transphobia, racism and other forms of discrimination.
With this step, Meta is following in the footsteps of X. Since the takeover of Twitter by Elon Musk, this platform has become a breeding ground for disinformation, hate speech and political manipulation. Following Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Meta, now also seems to be moving in Trump's direction. Never before has the power of Big Tech and their owners been so closely intertwined with political power. This has major consequences for our freedom in Europe and our democracy.
How can we still rely on social media to share our stories, if these platforms increasingly give space to disinformation and hate? We seem to be under the thumb of Big Tech platforms, but we can break that dependency.
There are already alternatives - social media that are truly social. We believe in platforms that are built on public values such as transparency, privacy, and sustainability.
#MakeSocialsSocialAgain is an initiative of Bits of Freedom, DeGoedeZaak, Noorderlicht, PublicSpaces and Waag Futurelab.
You can find us on alternative socials medias:
Mastodon as @mediamatic https://mastodon.social/home
Bluesky as @mediamatic-net https://bsky.app/