The massacre in the New Zealand mosques raises again the question of how the social media platforms can control content. The terrorist who killed fifty people planned his attack for social media. His manifesto included social media in-jokes and memes intended to spark conversation, outrage, and sharing. He was wearing a video camera on his head and streamed the shootings live on Facebook. Within a few hours over 1.5 million copies of it were on Facebook, and more on YouTube, Twitter, and other sites.
Obviously social media produces great benefits — that’s why over two billion people worldwide participate in it every month. However, social media also causes obsession and anxiety. Some sites, like 8Chan used by the New Zealand terrorist, are meeting places for white nationalists. Facebook was the primary tool for Russian disruption of the 2016 election. And when the bad from social media can be as horrific as it was in New Zealand, it makes some question if it is starting to outweigh the good.
Management guru Tom Peters, who engages frequently with many people on Twitter, expressed that kind of despair recently:
I know a number of people who quit Facebook before New Zealand, or took welcome, lengthy breaks from it. Are you using social media less than before, or considering eliminating it entirely?
