Technological advances have brought much good to the world. But as ways to communicate have diversified and led to anyone being able to get their message out to the entire world, it seems undeniable that society has taken a turn toward hyper-polarization and partisanship – and the number of people – especially young people who are experiencing mental health issues has increased and the trendline is heading in the wrong direction.
Many people see the rise of social media as being at least partly, if not mostly, to blame. And many people say something needs to be done about it. But, social media platforms are governed by what’s called the Telecommunications Act of 1996 — particularly part of it called Section 230 — that essentially says online providers, like social media platforms, are only carriers of information and not creators of it, and are therefore not liable for what that information contains or what negative effects it causes.
Our guests are part of a cross-partisan political reform group comprised a wide range of people, from elected officials and national security experts to mental health professionals and technologists who are trying to encourage change and find ways to address the negative effects of our online world.
Guests:
Dick Gephardt, former congressman and Democratic House Majority Leader, and author of the 2023 book “535 Not 1”
Tim Love, former Vice-Chairman of the global advertising company Omnicom Group, and author of “Discovering Truth: How to Navigate Between Fact & Fiction in an Overwhelming Social Media World” and host of the podcast Tim Love’s Discovering Truth
WGCU is your trusted source for news and information in Southwest Florida. We are a nonprofit public service, and your support is more critical than ever. Keep public media strong and donate now. Thank you.
