Politics. Despite being an early adopter of social media, I thought it was the dumbest idea ever. Initially it seemed like a persistent version of “hey, want to see our slides from our month-long trip through central Europe?”
In short order, political people at all levels saw it for what it is – an inexpensive way to scale communication with people you want to influence. From there it was a short walk to influencers of all stripes, origins and purpose, not all of it good.
Years later, found in the wreckage of all that has been the mental health of the young, especially girls.
One would think that would be enough to compel a policy similar to the anti-smoking campaigns of the 1970s and 80s which included age restrictions on purchases of tobacco.
The Libertarian bent in Congress dies a slow death, however, so to the rescue has come national security concerns which may or may not be compelling at the federal level.
(If you have not tuned into Politics and Policy with me, JT Taylor and Paul Glenchur, you should. We cover this topic being broadcast today.)
Congress is caught between concerns about censorship and foreign influence, a debate as old as this Republic. For my money, I would like to know what would happen to America if Tik-Tok, Facebook and the rest of the lot disappeared tomorrow.
Betting the answer is “Sure, I would love to come by and see your slides from Belarus.”
Policy. Typical of the American system with power distributed among states and three branches of government, there is no need to wait on a Congressional response. Florida is proposing age limits for social media accounts.
The Federal Trade Commission has proposed strengthening restrictions on use of data collected from minors’ use of the internet.
Capitalism still lives and Yondr is a company developed to help establish phone-free zones like schools.
This policy pressure appears to be driven by a greater appreciation for the memetic crisis that has amplified anxiety and depression in the young, something that hockey-sticked in 2007 and shows no signs of slowing down.
Implicit in the backlash is an appreciation for shortcomings of the regulatory regime. The Department of Energy can regulate lightbulbs but not smartphone makers that nearly require that you have social media apps loaded and ready for use.
As is often the case, the policy change will come from different directions and with varying areas of focus. When that happens – the most obvious precedent being tobacco use – it becomes hard to stop.
Power. As Derek Scissors of the American Enterprise Institute once put it, Democrats have an unhealth relationship with Big Tech. It has been a source of nearly unimaginable fundraising and influence and put the California delegation on top of the leadership heap for decades.
(Republicans have their own sugar daddy in financial services.)
The idea that Big Tech has rendered themselves untrustworthy, perhaps even dangerous for children, is and will continue to be a source of power realignment with unpredictable results.
Tobacco dictated the politics of southern states up until it became clear that smoking was becoming socially repugnant. Then the nails of litigation and regulation shut that coffin tight.
Along with watching in-person slide shows, I expect the future will have more print media in it, once again.
Have a great rest of your weekend.
